Sakura: Knight of the Clow
by shanejayell
Summary: Ace reporter Tomoyo seeks out the mystery defender of Tokyo.. the Knight of Clow!
1. 1

Sakura: Knight of the Clow  
  
Yukito ate hungrily, a slight smile on his face as the light brown haired man demolished his massive lunch. Tomoyo had seen it happen a few times since she had begun to work with the good natured cameraman, but it still was just a bit unnerving to watch. 'Where does all of that food go?' she mused, noting his rake thin form.  
  
"Ms. Daidouji," Yukito smiled, pausing for a moment in his eating to say, "I was wondering who this person is we'll be chasing?"  
  
The black haired woman sighed, leaning back so that the light caught on her press badge. "No one's entirely sure," Tomoyo said. "For the past several months there's been sightings of a mysterious woman, one who seems to use real magic while fighting monsters."  
  
"And since no one has learned anything about her you want to be the one to break the story," Yukito nodded thoughtfully. He hefted the zoom lens camera that he usually carried and vowed, "I'll do my best to photograph her."  
  
"We'll go out tonight, see if we can find anything," Tomoyo agreed. She picked up a bag from her side and passed it over to him, "Here."  
  
Yukito pulled the black clothing out of the bag and blinked, "Why.."  
  
"If we're going to be skulking about at night," Tomoyo held up her own matching black shirt and pants proudly, "you've got to be dressed properly!"  
  
Yukito blinked at his partner, "You are a very interesting person, ma'am."  
  
A smiling Tomoyo stuck her tongue out at him impishly, "You're no fun." She picked up her notebook and stowed it away beside her tape- recorder as she said, "I'll pick you up at your boyfriend Toya's place at nine, all right?"  
  
For such a pale young man Yukito blushed quite charmingly. "He is not my boyfriend," Yukito said with as much dignity as he could muster.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Tomoyo waved that off as she strode away.  
  
The sun shone down, the breeze ruffling her long black hair. She walked by a few cherry trees, the scent filling her with a kind of familiar peace. She loved this city, and she loved looking for all the secrets beneath the surface. It was part of why she had begun to play with a videocamera as a girl, and why she had grown up to become a newspaper reporter as an adult.  
  
'And now there's a new mystery,' Tomoyo thought, finishing the short walk from the cafe over to the newspaper offices. The Times was the town's main newspaper, other than a few gossip rags, and she knew she was lucky to be working there. 'Well, luck and a wee bit of parental influence,' she mused, walking in the front door.  
  
"Hey Daidouji," the chief's voice cut across the bullpen as she stuck her head out of her office to yell, "get in here!"  
  
"Yes," Tomoyo sighed, walking over there. Ms. Kaho Mitsuki was an old fashioned reporter, someone who had worked her way up from the bottom, and she expected all her reporters to do the same. "You wanted to see me?" she asked brightly.  
  
"I've got an assignment for you," Kaho passed a folder of papers over, "there's a new exhibit opening at the museum, I want you to cover it."  
  
Tomoyo flipped through the papers thoughtfully. An entirely new wing was being opened, based around a series of artifacts discovered by an archeologist who was based out of Tokyo itself. A photograph slipped from the papers, and Tomoyo scrambled to get it.  
  
"Who is that?" Tomoyo blinked at the brown haired young woman who smiled out of the photo. Wide green eyes, short, slightly ruffled brown hair, she looked.. lovely.  
  
"Sakura Kinomoto," Kaho said crisply, "she's the archeologist in question. I also understand that she has a position at the museum, possibly a assistant-curator."  
  
"The opening is this afternoon," Tomoyo rose smoothly, studying the papers intently, "I'd better get going, then. What photographer is available?"  
  
"Call up Yukito," Kaho smiled slightly, "I know you work well together."  
  
"Got it," Tomoyo grinned suddenly, "In exchange, could I look into the oddness that's been around the city, lately?"  
  
"You're not going to let that go, are you?" Kaho asked Tomoyo, an amused smile on her face. "All right," she nodded, "but don't do anything too stupid chasing that lady."  
  
"Right," Tomoyo headed out with a wave. She flipped her cellphone open and dialed a number from memory. "Yukito? It's me. We've got another job, over at the museum. Meet me there by three."  
  
"Hai," Yukito's sigh came through loud and clear.  
  
The two of them met in front of the museum, both of them being sure to be just a little bit early. Yukito checked over his precious camera before he gave her a curious look and asked, "So when does this event actually start?"  
  
"At four," Tomoyo made sure that her dress was straight, the matching coat snug over her shoulders. "And yeah, we're early so that we can talk to these people and try to make this a bit more than a puff piece," she explained fiercely.  
  
Yukito just nodded, being well aware of his partner's enthusiasm.  
  
The museum was quite modern, but the architecture was all modeled after that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Great pillars rose up around them, supporting the museum roof, and the floors gleamed like polished glass. They were met at the door by a young man who checked their ID, then he lead them inside to where the exhibit itself was going to be.  
  
People rushed about, trays of food being set up and a mini-bar assembled in the corner. Standing out of the chaos a woman waited protectively by a set of displays, watching the goings-on warily. Her short brown hair fell messily down into those blue eyes, and her tasteful clothes were just a bit rumpled looking, somehow.  
  
"Good afternoon," Tomoyo took the initiative once they were close enough to her, offering the woman from the photo her hand, "you're Dr. Kinomoto, correct?"  
  
"Ah, yes," the woman blinked, "Sakura, actually. Whenever someone says Dr. Kinomoto, I just look around for my father."  
  
"Sakura, then," Tomoyo was just a bit surprised at how nice the lady's smile was, "my name is Tomoyo Daidouji, I'm with the Times."  
  
Sakura looked past Tomoyo's shoulder, her eyes widening slightly as she saw the man with the camera, "Yukito? Is that you?"  
  
"Hi, Sakura," Yukito smiled back at her engagingly. At Tomoyo's clearly confused look the elegant photographer added, "Toya is Sakura's big brother. I just didn't realize that it was her we were coming here to interview."  
  
"Well, isn't that interesting," Tomoyo smiled slightly.  
  
"Come on," Sakura beamed as she pointed towards the display cases nearby, "I'll give you a private tour." With a cheerful manner she and Tomoyo talked, Sakura explaining about her trip to China, and talking about the unusual artifacts she had found there. All belonging to a mysterious figure named Clow Reed, they were said to hold great mystical power.  
  
"You don't really believe in that sort of thing, do you?" Tomoyo asked at one point as they passed a old book, the inside hollow, designed to contain.. something.  
  
Sakura hesitated, then she smiled just slightly. "I've seen a few things that made me wonder," she finally admitted.  
  
It was only a few minutes before opening before Tomoyo finally put her little tape-recorder away. "You do a good interview," she said to Sakura, "thank you."  
  
"You're welcome," Sakura met Tomoyo's eyes, and the dark haired woman felt a moment of vertigo as Sakura continued warmly, "it was my pleasure." She gave Yukito a scolding look, "I hope you got enough photos, too."  
  
"Oh, I guess," Yukito smiled back impishly.  
  
"Are you going out on another expedition soon?" Tomoyo asked Sakura curiously as she walked them towards the entrance.  
  
"No, I plan to stick around Tokyo for awhile," Sakura said firmly. She gave Tomoyo a curious look, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"I.." Tomoyo felt a blush coming on, though she couldn't imagine why. "I was wondering if we could do lunch or something," she said, "your work sounds fascinating."  
  
"I'd like that," Sakura smiled.  
  
Walking down the Museum's front steps towards Tomoyo's sports car Yukito gave her a thoughtful look, "Well, wasn't that interesting."  
  
"There might be another story in it," Tomoyo said to him firmly, just wishing that she wasn't blushing once again.  
  
"See you tonight," Yukito gave her a wave as they split up.  
  
The sun set over the city, and sitting together in the front seat of Tomoyo's car they patiently waited. Well, mostly patiently. "If you don't stop clicking your camera," Tomoyo gave him a look, "I'm going to take it away from you."  
  
"Sorry," Yukito put it down. He sat there for a few moment, fidgeting until he asked, "So how are we supposed to find this mystery woman?"  
  
Tomoyo reached up to tap a device on the dashboard, "Police band radio. If one of the monsters appears, or the lady herself, we'll hear about it."  
  
"Nice," Yukito put his hand on it only to jerk back in surprise as it squealed loudly.  
  
"That was fast," Tomoyo nodded, listening intently. "Looks like we've got a hit!" Tomoyo squealed out of the parking lot, the sleek little sports car racing across the city.  
  
They came around a corner, and Yukito gasped in alarm. The thing was big, nearly as tall as three men, and a figure wearing a long hooded cloak faced up against it. "Where are the police?" Yukito asked weakly.  
  
"They usually pull back when she's around," Tomoyo said, climbing out of the car to take a better look at the battle.  
  
The cloak was red, trimmed in gold as it fluttered around the body beneath it. It was hard to tell gender, but a few glimpses of curves convinced Tomoyo it probably was a woman. Dark pants stuck out the bottom, and her arms were bare except for black gloves. In her hands the hooded figure carried a bird designed staff, almost reminding one of a large key.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Yukito asked, clicking away with his camera.  
  
"What in the.." the hooded figure was distracted, seemingly by their presence. A backhand from the muscular, rocky skinned creature sent her flying away, hammering her into a wall nearby the two newspaper reporters.  
  
"No," Tomoyo murmured, running over towards where the figure had fallen, wondering why that voice had seemed familiar. She grabbed an arm, pulling her up, then Tomoyo just froze. "Sakura?" she said softly.  
  
"Hooee?" Sakura blinked up at her dazedly.  
  
To be continued... 


	2. 2

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Two  
  
Sakura leapt up to dodge a strike, keeping a firm grip on her staff as she quickly assessed her latest opponent. The thing was big, nearly as tall as three men, it's body bulky and almost rocky in appearance. It's eyes glowed scarlet, piercing in the night.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Yukito asked, clicking away with his camera.  
  
"What in the.." Sakura turned in surprise, not having heard their arrival. A backhand blow from the creature sent her flying away, hammering her into a brick wall nearby the two newspaper reporters, where she slid limply to the ground.  
  
"No," Tomoyo murmured as she ran towards her. "Sakura?" she looked down at her in surprise, offering a hand to pull her to her feet.  
  
"Hooee?" Sakura blinked up at her dazedly.  
  
"Sakura, are you all right?" Yukito cried as he ran over.  
  
Sakura shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "I'm fine," she used Tomoyo's hand to pull herself up, swaying just a bit. The creature ran at them again and Sakura shoved the others backwards with a cry, "Get behind me!"  
  
A muscled arm came down only to be blocked by that odd, bird designed staff. They stood there frozen for a moment, the creature straining to crush Sakura, then the slim brown haired heaved with her shoulders to send the monster staggering away.  
  
"I didn't want to use this," Sakura drew the ornately designed card from beneath her cloak, "but you leave me with no choice." She held still for a second, the black clad figure oddly meditative, then she tossed it up into the air.  
  
"What is she..?" Tomoyo blinked.  
  
"Windy card!" Sakura brought her bird designed staff down onto the card, light flaring brightly as she continued, "Become the chain of punishment and bind my enemy. Windy!"  
  
The card almost seemed to explode as a figure made up of mist and air rose up, a gorgeous but dangerous female figure made of the very air itself. She paused, giving them a regal glance, a slight smile appearing on her face as she gazed at Sakura. Then she turned, swooping down on the creature and binding it with her substance, forming bonds of solid air.  
  
Even as Windy struck Sakura was on the move. She ran at the creature, grabbing the base of her staff and twisting slightly. With a steely hiss she drew forth a silvery blade, the bird's head on the handle becoming the sword's hilt, even as she leapt. A single downward stroke of the weapon, a burst of black blood, and it was over.  
  
The Windy swirled about Sakura and the much that had splattered the cloak and black clothing was simply gone. A gentle hand was pressed to the side of Sakura's face and it was gone, the card falling to settle into Sakura's hands once more.  
  
"Incredible," Yukito managed, so stunned that he hadn't even been taking any photos.  
  
"Are you two all right?" Sakura asked, sliding the sword back into it's concealment then closing it with a soft click.  
  
"What was that thing?" Tomoyo asked, quickly recovering from her shock. "Where did it come from? How did you do that to stop it?"  
  
"And what size underwear do you wear?" Yukito quipped, receiving a glare from Tomoyo. The sound of police sirens rang through the alley and he looked over at his two companions to ask, "Think we should get out of here?"  
  
"Would you mind giving me a ride home?" Sakura said with a slight smile, "When we get there I'll explain what I know."  
  
"Right," Tomoyo lead the way to the car. Yukito got into the back seat, Sakura grabbing the passenger side as Tomoyo started up the vehicle. They roared off, not too long before they began to pass police vehicles hurrying the way they came.  
  
"Thanks," Sakura sighed softly.  
  
The young woman reached up, unclipping the clasp of her cloak at her throat and then folding it up on her lap. Sakura held the staff awkwardly in her hands, then she concentrated visibly. The staff shimmered, glowing in the dim light of the car, then in began to shrink. In a few moments it was simply a key that hung from a necklace around her neck.  
  
'She could use a nicer costume,' Tomoyo noted, taking in the plain black clothes Sakura wore, 'though it is cute.' Tomoyo froze, 'What am I thinking?'  
  
"Wow," Yukito spoke up from the back seat, "that's pretty cool." He paused a moment, "How long have you been doing this sort of thing?"  
  
"A couple of years now," Sakura said simply.  
  
Tomoyo narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "That makes sense," she murmured, "there were stories about a midnight adventurer years back, then they just stopped. And now you.. huh." She looked at Sakura curiously, "What happened to your predecessor, did she retire?"  
  
Sakura swallowed visibly, her eyes closing tightly as if she felt a deep pain. "No," she finally said softly, "she died."  
  
Tomoyo's mouth went dry, she opened up her mouth but nothing came out. "I'm sorry," Yukito spoke up from the back seat.  
  
Tomoyo pulled the car in front of the little house, the address she had memorized from the briefing papers she had read about Sakura this morning. Sakura opened up the passenger side, "Come on inside, and we'll talk."  
  
'She looks so sad,' Tomoyo thought, 'and oddly familiar, somehow. And not just from this morning.' She followed Sakura to the front door, Yukito following behind her. As Sakura was unlocking the door Yukito put a hand on her arm. "Yes?"  
  
"You're not planning to write a story on this, are you?" Yukito asked softly.  
  
"I don't know," Tomoyo admitted softly, "who'd believe any of this?" The door was open and the two of them followed Sakura inside. She slipped her shoes off, then they went on into the little kitchen where Sakura waved them over to the seats.  
  
"I know Yukito is probably hungry," Sakura walked over to the cupboards, "do you want anything, Ms. Daidouji?"  
  
"It's Tomoyo," she said softly, thinking of something Sakura had said earlier, "when someone says Ms. Daidouji I always look around for my Mother."  
  
"Fair enough, Tomoyo," Sakura agreed, laying a plate of biscuits down in front of Yukito, then putting a bottle of iced tea down beside it. "I'm not quite sure where to start," she admitted, sitting down across from Tomoyo.  
  
"How did you get involved with all this?" Tomoyo asked curiously.  
  
From a pocket in her black shirt Sakura drew out two cards, laying them on the table. She unclipped her necklace, laying it atop the cards as she said, "You could say that I inherited it. These belonged to my mother, until she died."  
  
Yukito's eyes widened, "Your mother died doing something like this?" He frowned, "But Yukito told me she died in a car crash."  
  
"It was the best story we could come up with, my father and I," Sakura toyed with the little key absentmindedly. "He felt so guilty about his decision to let her continue as the Knight after she had Toya and I that he asked me not to take up the job," she explained.  
  
"You're obviously doing this now," Tomoyo pointed out gently.  
  
"The duty has been passed from mother and daughter for generations," Sakura explained, "I couldn't just turn my back on it. Instead, I waited until I moved out of my father's home before I took it the task of being the Knight of Clow."  
  
"Clow," Yukito looked up in surprise from his plate of cookies, "wasn't that the man you mentioned over at the museum?"  
  
"Clow Reed," Sakura agreed. She held up the two cards, "He created these Clow Cards, and he also used them to made certain predictions about the future."  
  
Tomoyo looked over at her thoughtfully before quietly saying, "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like the sound of this?"  
  
Sakura chuckled softly, "I know I didn't." More seriously she continued, "Clow claimed that if the Cards weren't restored to their sacred chamber, a great disaster would befall the world."  
  
"You're mother's name, it wasn't Nadeshiko, was it?" Tomoyo asked softly into the moment of silence that followed that statement. At Sakura's surprised nod Tomoyo smiled slightly, "My mother, Sonomi, always talks about her cousin Nadeshiko, and has pictures all over of her."  
  
"You two are related?" Yukito blinked in surprise, looking between the dark haired girl and the brown haired one.  
  
"I never knew," Sakura blinked in surprise.  
  
"I won't write a story on this," Tomoyo admitted, "at least, not yet." She fixed Sakura with an intense gaze, "But I want two things in return."  
  
"What?" Sakura frowned.  
  
"One," Tomoyo held up a finger, "I want to cover whatever you do. I just won't use your name." She held up another finger, "And two, I want to design you a new costume."  
  
"What?" Sakura looked at her in surprise.  
  
To be continued... 


	3. 3

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Three  
  
Tomoyo smiled as the black haired young woman strode into the newspaper offices of the Times while Yukito followed right behind her. All around them reporters typed away on computers, people rushed about, and talk buzzed loudly.  
  
Almost as soon as they were making their way to Tomoyo's desk Kaho Mitsuki stuck her head out of her office to demand, "Did you get it?"  
  
"Yes," Tomoyo smiled.  
  
"Get in here," Kaho disappeared inside.  
  
"Into the lion's den," Yukito said with a smile as they headed to the office.  
  
"First hand story on the Knight," Tomoyo put the disk on the editor's desk, "and we even have photos of her in action."  
  
"Why Knight?" Kaho asked as she popped the disk in her computer's drive, scanning it as Yukito put a set of photo's of the cloaked figure down.  
  
"We've got to call her something," Tomoyo improvised quickly, "and it's pretty catchy. Might make for good headlines."  
  
"That's true," Kaho finished reading, the brown haired older woman turning to look the photos over. "None of her face, too bad. Still," she held up a sharp photo of the Knight calling on her magic, "that's pretty impressive."  
  
"Thanks," Yukito blushed a bit, the light brown haired man looking down shyly.  
  
"No ones gotten this close to the Knight's activities before," Kaho sat back with a thoughtful look, "I'm very impressed. We're going to run with this story..."  
  
"Thank you ma'am," Tomoyo smiled.  
  
Kaho nodded, "... and I want you two to stay on this story, too. If you can find out who she is, why she does this, I'd appreciate it."  
  
"We'll do our best," Tomoyo waved as she and Yukito headed out.  
  
They separated, Tomoyo heading to her desk while Yukito headed off to get more film and to go over his camera. Tomoyo sat down at her desk, finishing up another story while considering the situation that she and Yukito were now in..  
  
'I wonder what Kaho would have said if we produced the photos that Yukito got that showed Sakura's face,' Tomoyo smiled. She typed away, 'This agreement we've struck with her could pay off big, but it could also blow up in our faces.'  
  
Tomoyo picked up her telephone, connecting with the archives. "Hey Rika," Tomoyo instantly recognized the woman's voice, "I need you to do a search for me?"  
  
"How can I help?" Rika asked in her pleasant way.  
  
"I'm working on a story on that mysterious guardian of the city," Tomoyo smiled wryly at how dramatic that sounded, "I was wondering if you could do a search on similar events?"  
  
"What time range?" Rika said seriously, the researcher focused on her work.  
  
"A very good question," Tomoyo admitted. She thought about it a moment, "Start with the last thirty years, then extend it back by the same amount." A bit apologetically she added, "I'm not sure how far back this all might go."  
  
"I'll get started immediately," Rika agreed.  
  
"Thanks," Tomoyo smiled as she disconnected.  
  
'From what Sakura told us this sort of thing has been going on for years,' Tomoyo thought as she went back to her work, 'so it should crop up in our archives at times. That material will make a good backup piece on the Knight.'  
  
The day rushed by, Tomoyo and Yukito often being sent out together to cover various small stories. It was kind of funny that there was all this speculation around the office that they were more than friends, especially when you considered the fact that poor Yukito was gay.  
  
"So have you told Toya about all this?" Tomoyo asked as they drove back from a story.  
  
"Right after I got back home last night," Yukito agreed. Dressed in T- shirt and dress pants he looked crisply neat, as always.  
  
'Well, I do too,' Tomoyo admitted to herself. Despite the wear and tear of being a reporter she tried her best to look good, either in her long pants or dresses. It all depended on the situation, what sort of story she might be covering.  
  
"So how did that go?" Tomoyo asked curiously.  
  
"He pretty much confirmed everything Sakura told us," Yukito admitted. He sighed softly, "But not much more, he seems to be pretty much out of the loop now."  
  
"Isn't that interesting," Tomoyo noted. She looked thoughtful, "Family spat?"  
  
Yukito looked oddly uncomfortable, "I'm not sure. The feeling I got was that he really didn't want to know about that part of Sakura's life."  
  
"Can't be fun, knowing your sister is going out to fight monsters," Tomoyo agreed. They pulled in front of the paper, both dropping off their stuff quickly. Tomoyo looked at Yukito thoughtfully, "Do you want a ride home?"  
  
"Toya's picking me up," Yukito smiled.  
  
Tomoyo nodded thoughtfully. "Then I'll see you later, partner," she waved.  
  
"Stay out of trouble," Yukito called out as she left.  
  
The little car mad it's way across town, pulling to a stop in front of the museum It was quite a modern building, but the architectural design was all modeled after that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Great white pillars rose up around the entrance, supporting the museum roof, and as Tomoyo entered the building the floors gleamed like polished glass.  
  
"Ms. Daidouji," one of the museum employees recognized her as she walked in, "is there anything I can do to help?" He smiled, "We saw your story in the papers this morning, it was great."  
  
"I'm off work," Tomoyo hastened to say, "just looking around."  
  
"Do you want me to let Dr. Kinomoto know you're here?" he offered.  
  
Tomoyo hesitated, "If it isn't any trouble, sure."  
  
"No problem," and the young man was gone.  
  
Tomoyo made her way inside, looking around at the various sections of the grand museum. Still, her steps carried her to the China exhibit, and the artifacts that had been recovered recently. A set of robes hung in a display case, blue tripped in gold, while nearby an odd staff rested, a design incorporating a sun and moon on the top.  
  
"The metalwork on that staff is remarkable," the soft voice came from behind her, "centuries ahead of it's time."  
  
Tomoyo turned to see Sakura standing there, a soft smile on the assistant curator's face. Her short, slightly ruffled brown hair fell into her eyes, dressed in a simple lab coat over street clothes. She also was a bit dusty, a smudge on the tip of her nose.  
  
"You're a mess," Tomoyo stepped forward, wiping the smudge off and bringing a faint blush to the other women's cheeks.  
  
"Sorry," Sakura looked down shyly, "I was helping out over in our restoration's department. I'm not so good with the fine work, but I'm a wizz at cleaning."  
  
"Ah," Tomoyo nodded. She tilted her head to the side, looking the other woman over thoughtfully before asking, "Do you have any plans for tonight?"  
  
"I wasn't planning to go out," Sakura said softly, reaching to touch the necklace she wore, the enchanted charm hanging from it.  
  
"That's not quite what I meant," Tomoyo said. She shrugged, "I was going to go out and grab some dinner, I was wondering if you'd care to join me?"  
  
"Hoeee?" Sakura blinked.  
  
"Nothing improper," Tomoyo hastened to say, "I was just hoping we could talk a bit."  
  
Sakura seemed to shake off her moment of surprise and said, "I... I think I'd like that."  
  
To be continued... 


	4. 4

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Four  
  
Sakura eased the artifact out of the crate, brushing aside packing materials as she looked at the section of wall. Engraved on the tile were to figures, a noble appearing young man with angel wings, and beside him a massive winged lion. 'Li sent it to me from China,' Sakura frowned in thought, 'could it be linked to the other Clow artifacts?'  
  
"Miss Sakura?" one of the young men on the Museum staff entered nervously to say, "That reporter is here again."  
  
"Thank you," Sakura gave him a smile as she gently put the tile down on a cotton sheet. She wrapped it carefully before stowing it away in a protective drawer. She turned to ask, "Did she say what she wanted to see me about?"  
  
"She didn't really say," he said before heading back upstairs.  
  
Sakura frowned, picking up her labcoat from a nearby table and pulling it on. All around her on various surfaces artifacts of one type or another sat, being prepared for restoration or display. Gold, silver, iron and stone, Sakura cautiously made her way through them all towards the door, locking it behind her as she left. It was a short walk up the stairs into the public parts of the city museum, then she went looking for Tomoyo.  
  
Sakura walked around, looking in the various sections of the grand museum for Tomoyo. Eventually she made her way to the China exhibit and looked over the many artifacts that she had helped recover so recently. A set of silken robes hung in a display case, blue edged in gold, while nearby an odd staff rested, the design incorporating a sun and moon on the top. Tomoyo stood in front of the cases, studying them curiously.  
  
"The metalwork on that staff is remarkable," Sakura said to her softly as she came up from behind Tomoyo, "centuries ahead of it's time."  
  
As Tomoyo turned to see her standing there, the reporter smiling at her slightly. The woman's long black hair fell around her, dressed in a stylish business suit. "You're a mess," Tomoyo surprised Sakura by stepping forward, wiping a smudge off of Sakura's nose.  
  
"Sorry," Sakura blushed, looking down shyly as she said, "I was helping out over in our restoration's department. I'm not so good with the fine work, but I'm a wizz at cleaning."  
  
"Ah," Tomoyo nodded. The reporter tilted her head to the side and asked, "Do you have any plans for tonight?"  
  
"I wasn't planning to go out," Sakura looked at her in surprise, reaching up to touch the necklace she wore, the enchanted charm hanging from it.  
  
"That's not quite what I meant," Tomoyo said. She shrugged, "I was going to go out and grab some dinner, I was wondering if you'd care to join me?"  
  
"Hoeee?" Sakura blinked in surprise.  
  
"Nothing improper," Tomoyo hastened to say with a charming smile, "I was just hoping we could talk a bit."  
  
Sakura studied her a moment before saying, "I... I think I'd like that." She looked down at her dusty clothes, "But do you know a place where I won't get thrown out?"  
  
Tomoyo looked her up and down, and Sakura felt her cheeks color at the admiration in her gaze. "Even dusty," Tomoyo said, "you look good." She took Sakura's hand, "Come on!"  
  
Tomoyo tugged her forward and Sakura laughed softly, the two walking out of the museum together. Sakura slowed once they reached the sports car waiting for them, "I'll mess up the seats!"  
  
Tomoyo just chuckled, opening up the passenger door, "Trust me, it's not a problem."  
  
Sakura pulled her lab coat off, covering up the seat with her white lab coat. "There," Sakura gave Tomoyo a smile, sitting down smoothly.  
  
"Nice," Tomoyo acknowledged. She slid behind the wheel and started up the car. The engine purred like a cat, then with a throaty roar they smoothly pulled out into traffic.  
  
"So where are we headed?" Sakura asked, peering into the rearview mirror and trying to tidy herself up a bit. Finally she sat back with a sigh, "It's hopeless."  
  
"No it's not," Tomoyo smiled. She turned onto a side street, pulling in front of a high class boutique. "First we'll get you changed," she got out then opened up Sakura's door.  
  
"What?" Sakura blinked.  
  
"You were complaining that you were too messy to go out," Tomoyo laughed, "so we're going to fix that now." She lead them back to the clothes racks, quickly judging Sakura's size by a glance, "Do you prefer pants or dresses?"  
  
"Dresses," Sakura stammered, "but I can't let you...."  
  
Tomoyo took a rose evening gown out of the rack, tilting her head to the side to study Sakura thoughtfully. "Trust me, I can afford it," she smiled. She paused, "And I like doing this sort of thing. I probably would have been a close designer if I hadn't become a reporter."  
  
"You always wanted a life-sized Barbie when you were growing up, didn't you?" Sakura complained good-naturedly as Tomoyo handed the blushing woman a set of fancy underwear to go along with the dress.  
  
"I didn't really need one," Tomoyo gave her an impish grin, "I just made my bodyguards dress up how I wanted them too." She lead Sakura through the store, "Skirt, underwear, stockings.." she snagged a set of fine shoes then beamed, "Go get changed, I'll pay for this."  
  
Sakura blinked as Tomoyo strode to the cashier, then with a shake of her head she headed to a change room. 'She just kind of bowled me over,' Sakura mused as she stripped, then pulled on the new clothes. She looked at the changing room mirror and whispered, "Wow."  
  
Sakura stepped out of the changing room in her new heels and Tomoyo looked up curiously. The black haired woman's eyes widened as her lips curled up in a smile. She walked over to where Sakura stood and simply said, "You look lovely."  
  
"Thanks to you," Sakura answered with a warm smile. While in the changing room she had used a comb in her pocket to tidy her hair and was a bit surprised to have Tomoyo reach up to ruffle it slightly. "What was that for?" she protested.  
  
"It looks better that way," Tomoyo offered her arm to Sakura, and together they left the store, Sakura's old clothes in a store bag. "I hope you don't mind my taking charge like that," Tomoyo's voice was gentle, "it's a habit I picked up from my mother."  
  
"The business-woman Sonomi Daidouji," Sakura nodded as the two of them climbed back into the car, pausing only to toss her labcoat in the back with her old clothes. She sighed softly, "My mother talked about her occasionally, just not around my dad."  
  
"Why was that?" Tomoyo asked curiously as they moved out into traffic once again, keeping a careful eye on the other cars on the road.  
  
Sakura was a bit uncomfortable as she admitted, "I got the feeling my father never really got along with your mom."  
  
"I'll have to ask Sonomi about it," Tomoyo said thoughtfully. The woman drove with the minimum amount of movement, guiding her car with gentle skill.  
  
"How much did all of this cost?" Sakura had to ask, gesturing down to her new outfit, "I'd like to pay you back later."  
  
"Friends don't need to pay back things," Tomoyo looked over at Sakura with a engaging smile, "and I'm hoping we'll become friends."  
  
Sakura was a bit surprised to hear such... loneliness in Tomoyo's voice. She smiled back and said, "I hope we will be, too."  
  
"Thanks," Tomoyo grinned as they pulled up in front of a restaurant. She got out first, walking around to open Sakura's door for her. "Shall we?"  
  
"I'd be honored," Sakura rose to take Tomoyo's hand. She felt a bit of relief as they walked towards the door. The restaurant was nice, but not too high class. "The Rose," Sakura murmured, "I've never been here before."  
  
"It was recommended to me by a friend," Tomoyo walked her forward smoothly. The young man at the till smiled as they entered, recognizing Tomoyo. She smiled and said, "Good evening Jim. I'm sorry to say we don't have a reservation."  
  
Jim smiled, blonde hair falling into his eyes. "I'm sure we can find a seat for you two," he beamed, pressing a switch on his desk. A young waitress arrived and he said, "Take Miss Tomoyo and her guest to booth number nine, please."  
  
"Right," the blonde waitress beamed and led the two ladies in.  
  
Sakura looked around her, the comfortable but unpretentious decoration of the place pleasing to the eye. Her eyes widened as she noticed both same sex and mixed couples sitting intimately close. 'Interesting place for dinner,' Sakura mused.  
  
To be continued... 


	5. 5

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Five  
  
Tomoyo walked beside Sakura, noticing the brown haired young woman's now slightly wide eyes. 'Wonder if I should have picked another restaurant?' the black haired reporter mused worriedly. She had gotten used to the Rose, but Sakura was a newcomer....  
  
"Here we are," the blonde haired waitress beamed. She set two leather bound menus on the table and added, "I'll be back in a few minutes to get your orders."  
  
"Thanks Becky," Tomoyo noted the girl's nametag with a smile.  
  
Sakura settled down into her seat, smiling slightly. "An interesting restaurant," she noted. Sakura smiled slightly, "I think it's the one Yukito and Toya go to, isn't it?"  
  
"Oh yes," Tomoyo agreed, "but I was the one to tell them about it."  
  
Sakura nodded to herself thoughtfully. She looked over at Tomoyo, "I guess you've done a lot of research on me for your article, but I know almost nothing about you."  
  
Tomoyo flashed a smile, "Not that much to tell."  
  
"Oh really?" Sakura asked.  
  
Tomoyo sighed to herself slightly, realizing that Sakura was serious. "I was born here in Tokyo shortly before Sonomi Daidouji divorced her second husband," she said thoughtfully. "Went to private schools for most of my life, probably why we never ran into each other in school. Against my mother's wishes I went into journalism," she smiled, "my first real act of rebellion."  
  
Sakura smiled a little sadly, "I wouldn't have minded meeting you in school."  
  
"Me, too," Tomoyo admitted. "I had bodyguards all my life until I left school," she smiled wryly, "I actually missed them for awhile."  
  
"I read some of your articles after that interview," Sakura smiled, "you've done well. Several local journalism awards, in the running for some of the nationals."  
  
"Still haven't won," Tomoyo grinned, "but it'll happen."  
  
The waitress returned, a bounce to her step. "Have you decided what you'd like to order?" Becky asked them cheerfully.  
  
"What's the special tonight?" Tomoyo asked smoothly.  
  
"Burger platter," Becky said, "with wedge fries, gravy, and drink."  
  
"Totally unhealthy," Sakura noted with a smile, "I'd love it with as cola."  
  
Tomoyo chuckled softly, a little surprised by Sakura showing a decadent side. "One for me, too, let's both be bad," she smiled, "but make up two garden salads as a side dish, please."  
  
"Got it," Becky waved as she scampered off.  
  
"A bit of virtue to go along with all the vice," Sakura said with a impish little smile, "it seems that we think alike."  
  
Tomoyo nodded, "Guess so." She leaned back in her seat a bit, her long black hair flowing down her back in a neat braid as she studied Sakura.  
  
'She seems so innocent at times,' Tomoyo mused as she watched the elegantly dressed Sakura, 'but she adapted to all this easily.' A young woman walked over, clearly having recognized the locally famous archeologist and Sakura handled her with gentleness and tact.  
  
"What?" Sakura asked curiously.  
  
"How did you get into archeology?" Tomoyo asked curiously.  
  
"Wanting to understand the cards," Sakura admitted. "From the stories my mother passed on they've been around nearly forever...."  
  
"Here you go," Becky bounced up to their table, smoothly dropping off two heavily laden trays with the meals on them. She set those and the drinks in front of them before adding, "I'll be by later to see if you want desert."  
  
"Right," Sakura murmured, looking wide eyed at the massive amounts they had been served. Once Becky left she whispered, "I can't eat all this!"  
  
"Join the club," Tomoyo laughed, "but we'll make a valiant effort." As the two women dug in she asked, "Have you had any luck looking into the cards?"  
  
"Not as much as I'd like," Sakura admitted, taking a bite out of her burger then dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "Clow Reed was a magician who traveled across Asia, especially China and ancient Japan. He was also a fortune teller, and he originally fashioned the Clow cards to assist him in that," she explained.  
  
"So how many cards are there?" Tomoyo asked curiously, eating gravy covered fries with a great deal of enjoyment.  
  
"A lot," Sakura sighed. "I have the Windy and Fly cards and in my research I've discovered that there are Mirror, Fight, Shadow and many others," she said.  
  
Tomoyo nodded slightly at that. "So how would you go about finding all these cards?" she asked her curiously.  
  
"That's the problem," Sakura picked up a fry with her fingers, munching on it glumly. "When I was searching in China I was able to... sense the presence of certain artifacts," she revealed, "The book, pen and staff all drew me to them."  
  
"So if you're near a Clow card," Tomoyo dug into her other half of a burger, "you'll probably be able to sense it too."  
  
"But only if I'm pretty near," Sakura pointed out with a fry, "I was only able to pick up the artifacts if I was within a few feet."  
  
"So we'll need to find a lead on the cards locations first," Tomoyo mused. She smiled, "My connections as a reporter might help."  
  
"Thank you," Sakura flashed a smile, pushing her plate aside to get to her salad. She hesitated, "I'm not sure this sort of thing is going to be terribly newsworthy, though...."  
  
"We're family, sort of," Tomoyo finally said, referring to their mothers being cousins. She crunched on a tomato from her salad and chuckled softly, "Besides, I don't think my curiosity would let me stay out of this, either."  
  
Sakura smiled, "I'm glad."  
  
"I see you're pretty much done," Becky appeared with a smile. Tomoyo looked down at her plate in surprise, realizing that she'd absentmindedly cleared her plate while talking to Sakura. "What would you like for desert?"  
  
Sakura looked appealingly at Tomoyo. "I haven't been here before," she said, "is there something you liked?"  
  
"There was a treat I got last time," Tomoyo smiled wickedly, "Death by Chocolate."  
  
"It's not healthy, I take it," Sakura smiled back. She looked over up at where Becky stood, "We'll take two, please."  
  
"Two Death by Chocolate," Becky laughed, coming back in a few moments with two dishes filled with the seductive chocolate treat.  
  
"You're a bad influence, you know that?" Sakura said to Tomoyo with a laugh.  
  
"Me?" Tomoyo batted her eyes innocently. "I wasn't the one who ordered it," she laughed, savoring a spoonful with a happy sigh.  
  
"You know," Sakura said, a bit of chocolate stuck to the corner of her mouth, "I had a really good time tonight."  
  
"You sound surprised," Tomoyo noted.  
  
"I guess I am," Sakura admitted. She blushed slightly, "I don't have much of a social life."  
  
Tomoyo hesitated, reaching out to put her hand gently on top of Sakura's. "Maybe I can help you change that," she offered.  
  
Sakura blushed, but she didn't pull her hand away. "I'd like that," she smiled.  
  
To be continued... 


	6. 6

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Six  
  
Sakura raised her key-staff, watching as the Harpy stumbled, bird- like legs barely holding it up. Wings stretched from it's back but oddly the front of the monster looked like a beautiful young woman. She looked at Sakura with those golden eyes, a silent appeal that she spare her.  
  
'This thing has been killing kids,' Sakura reminded herself firmly, her short brow hair ruffled a bit by the slight evening breeze. Her new costume in black and gray was surprisingly comfortable, despite all of the fancy ruffles, even incorporating her old cloak, and it was all a gift of the woman who watched behind her.  
  
Keeping a safe distance Tomoyo stood there in the shadows, with the latest in mini-videocameras focused on Sakura. She had insisted on coming along in exchange for keeping her silence about Sakura's adventures and she had been forced to agree.  
  
The Harpy turned to try to take off and Sakura moved forward swiftly. She twisted her staff, the sword sliding free, then overtook the creature before it could take off. She leapt, sword flashing, then sliced down into the thing's foul flesh. There was a burst of black blood and it collapsed into a mess of broken feathers and rotting meat, the stench driving them both backwards.  
  
"Are you all right?" Tomoyo asked worriedly, the black haired young woman looking at Sakura in honest concern.  
  
"I got splatted," Sakura held up her messed up sleeve, "other than that I'm fine." She cleaned her sword blade off then slid it into it's sheath with a soft rasp.  
  
Tomoyo's eyes glittered happily and Sakura felt an odd sinking feeling. "Oh good," Tomoyo beamed, "I get to dress you again."  
  
"Are you sure you didn't want a life-sized Barbie doll when you were growing up?" Sakura asked as they walked back to the car.  
  
Tomoyo just chuckled softly. She stowed the camera away then pulled out a second version of the overcoat, helping Sakura pull the messed up coat off then sliding the new one on. She tidied the collar of the coat, her fingers lingering as she said, "You look good."  
  
Sakura blushed slightly, smiling back at Tomoyo. "I'm surprised you could so quickly make up this costume for me," she said.  
  
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow and smirked as she answered, "Who's to say it's the only costume I've made for you?"  
  
"Hoee?" Sakura blinked.  
  
"So do you think there's going to be any more trouble tonight?" Tomoyo asked cheerfully, leaning up against the side of the black car.  
  
"I don't think so," Sakura said, still blushing a bit as she continued, "usually there's only one creature a night, though why I don't know."  
  
"Interesting," Tomoyo whipped out a notepad and jotted that information down. "I'll ask Rika to look into that, too," she put the notes away. She waved Sakura to the passenger's side as she climbed in, "Where too?"  
  
"Could we swing by the museum?" Sakura asked with a slight smile as she climbed in. She smiled wryly, "I like to check up on it when I go out."  
  
"Why not," Tomoyo started up the car and they were off.  
  
"Thanks," Sakura sighed, leaning back as she focused her will and murmured softly, the battle staff shrinking down again into the pendant that she wore around her neck.  
  
Tomoyo kept her gaze turned to the road as she softly asked, "I wonder where the monsters are coming from?"  
  
"I read something in my Grandmothers diaries from when she was Knight," Sakura said as she unclipped her cloak, folding it up in her lap, "she thought they were a manifestation of human evil, given form by wells of dark magic."  
  
The traffic lights lit up Tomoyo's face as they moved through the dark Tokyo streets. "So it won't be easy to get rid of them," she said.  
  
Sakura reached up to touch her pendant, the ornate key catching the light. "Except one at a time," she agreed.  
  
They pulled up in front of the museum, Sakura climbing out of the car to look at the building thoughtfully. It was quite modern, but the architecture was all modeled after that of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The great stone pillars rose up around them, supporting the museum roof, and the front steps gleamed like polished glass.  
  
Tomoyo got out first, looking up at the regal building. "It's beautiful, even at night," she remarked softly.  
  
"Yeah, it is," Sakura said, climbing out beside her. Her hair was blown back by the night breeze as she murmured, "I don't know why, but I find visiting here comforting."  
  
"I guess so," Tomoyo answered, turning to look at Sakura thoughtfully.  
  
"What?" Sakura asked curiously.  
  
"I've only seen you use the Windy so far," Tomoyo said, "what is the other card you have? And why don't you use the cards more often?"  
  
"Like tonight," Sakura said quietly. "The cards have spirits, wills all their own, and the Windy isn't all that tame," she explained.  
  
"It might disobey you?" Tomoyo blinked.  
  
"It hasn't yet," Sakura looked up, the moonlight shining down, "but that doesn't mean it won't decide to some day."  
  
"And the other card?" Tomoyo repeated.  
  
"The Fly card," Sakura actually smiled fondly as she continued on, "it's not the most useful card in battle but it's enjoyable to use." She drew a Clow Card from the inside of her shirt as she said, "Do you want to see?"  
  
"Of course!" Tomoyo laughed.  
  
Sakura held the card thoughtfully a moment, her concentration focused, then she tossed it up into the air. "Fly Card!" she cried, "Become wings to carry me! Fly!"  
  
The card dissolved into light as Tomoyo gasped in alarm. The energy congregated at Sakura's shoulders, a burst of light and power reforming them into a pair of great white wings.  
  
"It's beautiful," Tomoyo managed reverently.  
  
Sakura offered her hand. "Shall we?" she asked gently.  
  
Tomoyo didn't hesitate as she took Sakura's hand, surprised to feel those arms folding around her. Sakura held her tightly, then the wings stretched up before beating down, propelling them up into the air. "Incredible," Tomoyo gasped, clinging to her.  
  
"Look," Sakura said softly.  
  
Tomoyo opened her eyes, only then realizing that she had clamped them shut. Below them the car and museum shrank, the city stretching out around them. Tokyo tower shone in the distance, the roads lit like glowing arrows around the city. The few people and vehicles looked like toys down below them, moving back and forth on their business.  
  
"I've never...." Tomoyo murmured.  
  
"This is the first time I've shared this view with someone," Sakura said to her softly, "I've always done this all alone."  
  
Tomoyo looked down a moment at the glowing city then up at Sakura's face. "I'm honored," was the best she could manage.  
  
Apparently it was the right thing to say as Sakura's face lit up in a happy smile. "I'm glad," she answered, gently bringing the two of them back down to the ground. As she touched down the wings seemed to explode into a cloud of feathers, coming together as the card once more.  
  
"You certainly know how to liven up a date," Tomoyo looked at Sakura with a impish smile, "but what are you going to do on our next one?"  
  
Sakura just laughed.  
  
Atop the museum he stepped from the shadows as the two women climbed into the car and drove away. His whitish hair blew in the breeze, the matching wings stretching up to the night sky. His robes in blue gave him a noble air, his hawklike eyes narrowed in thought.  
  
"Not what I expected," Yue finally said, "not at all."  
  
To be continued.... 


	7. 7

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Seven  
  
Kaho Mitsuki studied the freshly printed article in the paper, nodding to herself slightly. Last evening's battle with the harpy was vividly described, the still photos catching the danger of the battle and the details of the Knight's victory. There were still no photos of the young woman's face, but you couldn't have everything.  
  
"Nicely done," Kaho looked up, her long brown hair flowing over her shoulders.  
  
"Thanks boss," Tomoyo Daidouji smiled back at her editor warmly, her black hair falling slightly into her face.  
  
Kaho studied her covertly, then looked back down at the paper. "The Knight's proven to be popular with our readers," she noted, "so try to keep bringing the stories in." She set the paper aside, "Any luck on the background search?"  
  
"Some," Tomoyo answered quite promptly. "I had Rika doing some digging and it seems this sort of thing has been happening here in Tokyo for the last hundred years, at least," she relayed eagerly, dark eyes sparkling..  
  
Kaho raised her eyebrows in honest surprise as she sternly asked her, "And no one's ever commented on this before?"  
  
Tomoyo just shrugged, keeping her cool. "Most people who saw the monsters are simply dismissed as crackpots or nutcases," she explained mildly, "and it's not that obvious until you start connecting all the reports."  
  
"Makes sense," Kaho conceded. She looked thoughtful, "I don't think we'll include that in the articles just yet, let's keep going back."  
  
"Got it," Tomoyo nodded.  
  
"I just wish we knew why," Kaho murmured to herself as she looked down at the photos again. Tomoyo looked confused at that so Kaho elaborated, "Why does the Knight choose to do this and why are these monsters here?"  
  
"There's one thing I noticed in the research," Tomoyo added hesitantly. Kaho looked at her curiously and she continued, "The frequency is gradually going up over the years until now there's a monster attack every few nights."  
  
"Building towards something?" Kaho mused aloud.  
  
"Could be," Tomoyo agreed.  
  
"Keep on it," Kaho said, dismissal clear in her tone of voice, "this Knight thing could be a even bigger story than we realized."  
  
"I'll do my best," Tomoyo said as she left the office.  
  
Kaho sat back in her chair, her sleek business suit hugging her body as she studied the woman walking into the bullpen. 'Tomoyo's holding something back,' Kaho mused, 'something big.' She wanted to press her on it, find out what was going on, but she was patient. She suspected Tomoyo would tell her eventually, or circumstances would reveal what was going on.  
  
She looked up at the clock and Kaho shook herself, getting up out of her chair and then striding out of the office herself. "I'll be back in two hours," she calmly instructed her secretary before leaving the newspaper building and climbing into her car.  
  
"Yes ma'am," Mei-Lin agreed, the younger Asian woman hiding a smile.  
  
The drive out to the edge of town was quiet as Kaho considered whom she was about to see, hiding a rising surge of excitement. She pulled in front of the mansion's gates and rang the bell, announcing herself to the staff. The gates swung open and Kaho walked in, following the well remembered path up to the house itself.  
  
"Ms. Mitsuki," the maid took the coat from her shoulders and hung it up on a rack, "the lady of the house is waiting for you in the sunroom."  
  
"Thanks," Kaho smiled as she walked down the hallway, pointedly ignoring the black clad lady who shadowed her step by step. The woman who lived here was very careful about her privacy, quite understandably so Kaho thought.  
  
The sun room's arching glass ceiling let in the summer sun, lighting up the place with a golden brilliance. Comfortable couches and chairs were set up around a circular pattern and a table was set for some casual snacking. The short haired woman looked up happily at Kaho's entrance to teasingly say, "About time you got here."  
  
"Sorry about that, Sonomi," Kaho answered, "I got held up by your darling daughter bringing me yet another scoop."  
  
Sonomi chuckled, "I see."  
  
Sonomi Daidouji walked over to swiftly pull Kaho into a warm hug and she found herself studying the slim woman. Dressed in the finest suits she looked wonderful, but there was also a gentle sorrow in her eyes. She was very physically fit, with a body that Kaho often found herself thinking about guiltily, but more importantly she had a powerful presence. The woman could take over a room as easily as she derailed Kaho's thoughts.  
  
"Don't give me that," Kaho said with warm amusement, "I know how proud you are of her." Sonomi lead her over to a couch where they both sat, "Have I thanked you lately for talking me into taking Tomoyo on?"  
  
"Yes but you can always do that again," Sonomi smirked, "I could use the ego boost." More seriously she said, "I suspect you would have hired her anyway, though."  
  
"Maybe," Kaho shook her head, "maybe not. At the time I was worried about a possible conflict considering we're friends."  
  
"You haven't told her about us, have you?" Sonomi frowned, sitting up from her casual slouch there beside Kaho.  
  
"No, though I think I probably should," Kaho said. She smiled grimly, "If Tomoyo finds out she'll be upset with both of us."  
  
"I know," Sonomi sighed. She shifted, leaning her head on Kaho's shoulder as she murmured, "I wish I didn't have to keep this a secret."  
  
"Me, too," Kaho answered, gently wrapping her arm around Sonomi's shoulders, "but the board of your company would have a fit." She smiled, "So how's Tomoyo doing?"  
  
"Oh?" Sonomi said innocently.  
  
Kaho laughed. "I know you have your people keeping an eye on her," she said, "and I'm pretty sure Tomoyo knows about it."  
  
"Probably," Sonomi acknowledged. She frowned slightly in worry, "She's been hanging around with a young woman lately, Kinomoto Sakura."  
  
"They met through an article that Tomoyo wrote on her," Kaho offered, "she's an archeologist as well as the new assistant curator of the museum."  
  
"I wonder if I should...?" Sonomi mused.  
  
"Not unless you want her to think that you're some kind of match- making mother," Kaho teased her lover gently.  
  
They sat there for a moment then Sonomi chuckled softly. "I don't think I expected to fall in love when I sent to your office to try and kill that story," she said. She smiled fondly, "You were completely unimpressed with me, as I recall."  
  
"Not quite," Kaho laughed at the vivid memories. "I was terrified when the lead executive of Daidouji Conglomerate came in making threats," she quietly confessed, "but I just couldn't let myself compromise my ethics."  
  
"You hid it well," Sonomi snuggled closer.  
  
"Thank you," Kaho flashed a smile. "I was certainly surprised when I got the invitation to your next party," she mused.  
  
"I couldn't get you out of my mind," Sonomi admitted, "especially how beautiful you looked when you told me off."  
  
Kaho snickered. "Quite the first impression," she agreed, "you storming into my office red faced, eyes sparkling and cheeks red with anger. I was stunned."  
  
"I'm just glad I got to know you," Sonomi looked up warmly into her eyes.  
  
"Me, too," Kaho bent forward, gently pressing their lips together.  
  
To be continued.... 


	8. 8

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Eight

The three figures raced down the alley together, the sound of barking hounds growing ever closer. "Get behind me," Sakura ordered crisply, her short brown hair falling into narrowed eyes as she expanded her key pendant into a staff.

Yukito nodded, checking his digital camera even as the sandy haired young man murmured, "Well, this is exciting."

"Hush," Tomoyo scolded. Her long black hair was strictly tied back, a miniature recorder running at her side. The three of them wore matching uniforms she had provided, simple black garb that helped them blend into the shadows.

All around them the city echoed oddly with sounds, a odd mix of domestic animals and more wild beasts. The first few reports of sightings of lions, wolves and other wild animals had just been scoffed at by the authorities, at least until the first mauling happened. Animal control officers went into the district searching but couldn't find the animals everyone hysterically reported, or if they were unlucky they encountered something... else.

They looked just like real wolves as they burst from the shadows, but there was something strangely off about them. They tailed an uncanny colored mist, looking oddly insubstantial despite the sinister gleam of fangs and claws. The fur was silvery, almost cloud-like as they raced towards them, malice evident in every motion.

"Too many for just my blade," Sakura muttered as she drew forth a card from her long cloak. She held it for a moment, seemingly drawing on her willpower then tossed it up into the air. "Windy card!" Sakura yelled as she swiftly brought her bird designed staff down onto the card, light flaring brightly all around in the shape of a blazing sigil her while she continued, "Become the chain of punishment and bind my enemy. Windy!"

The simple card almost seemed to burst as a figure that was made up of clouds and air rose up, a gorgeous but unearthly looking female figure made of the very air itself. Windy paused, studying the now slowing wolves and murmured in an deadly voice, "Little beast."

"It talks?" Tomoyo blurted, gazing up at the regal woman in surprise.

Sakura looked vaguely worried as she gestured the others backward. "This is bad," she murmured, "this might just be a Clow Card."

"And that's bad because?" Yukito asked innocently.

Sakura held her a staff in a guard position, watching both the Windy and the shimmering wolves warily. "Because until I bind them back into the card," she explained tensely, "the Clow Cards hate each other with a passion!"

The wolves swirled apart, their substance congregating as it shifted. She languidly rose from a feral crouch, the skins of many animals making up her rough garb. A wild mane of tawny hair flowed around her as she drew her lips back to reveal gleaming fangs, those golden eyes piercing the night as she studied them hungrily.

"Come little Beast," Windy smiled a truly unpleasant smile as she gazed at her opponent, "and receive the discipline you deserve."

With a wild howl Beast charged right at Sakura and the others, her slim fingers lengthening into ten deadly claws. But before she could strike Windy was there, a powerful gust of wind blowing her foe backwards. Trailing mist Windy charged forward, ignoring all the Beast's strikes to swirl her substance around the other, binding her fast.

"You will not harm the Mistress," Windy grasped the Beast on both sides of her head as she gazed intently into her eyes, "she's mine." Suddenly she pulled the struggling figure into a kiss, the embrace as much of a contest of wills as the battle had been.

Tomoyo looked on wide eyed for a few moments before finally murmuring, "Should we really be watching this?"

Sakura's cheeks were faintly red as she raised her staff and cried, "Beast Card! Return to the form you were created to be! Beast!"

Out of Windy's grip the Beast swirled, the glowing substance of it's form gathering in front of Sakura in the shape of a glowing card. It took only seconds for all of the material to be captured, a card painted with the image of the beautiful Beast gently falling down into Sakura's hand.

Windy moved through the air smoothly, almost looking like a woman in a white gown as she gazed down at Sakura. "Mistress," she murmured, "what is your will?"

"Return to your card, Windy," Sakura said firmly, looking up with her face bathed in the mystical glow of Windy's form.

"Of course," Windy gracefully reached out to stroke Sakura's cheek in what was an purely sensual gesture, "but someday, Mistress...." With those parting words Windy's body swirled apart, threads of it's substance coming together to weave the Windy card once more.

As Sakura gently caught the falling card she felt Tomoyo and Yukito's gazes on her, both clearly shaken by what they had just seen. "What was that about?" Tomoyo asked.

"It's a bit complicated," Sakura said with a sigh.

Sirens wailed off in the distance, the sounds of the chase and battle obviously having drawn the attention of the police. "Maybe we should talk about this elsewhere?" Yukito suggested. They returned to Tomoyo's car and were gone before the first police units arrived on the scene.

In the coming days the newspapers would report that the animal incidents had stopped but no one would know the exact reason why. Speculation about mass hysteria, contamination in the water and other theories were put forth until the public moved on to other topics of interest. Tomoyo knew, of course, but she wasn't telling.

They went to Tomoyo's apartment, it was the nearest to the district the Beast had been roaming around in. As they entered the front door Yukito hid a smile, suspecting how his new friend was going to react to the place. He wasn't disappointed.

"Wow," Sakura breathed, looking around the massive living room in awe. It was nearly the size of her house, and hallways extended out into other rooms as well. The place was beautifully decorated, tasteful couches and chairs set up for comfort and style.

"Mother insisted I have a place fitting our family," Tomoyo said with a weary sigh, "I'm just glad I kept her from unleashing her personal decorator on me, too." She brightened up a bit, "Did either of you want a snack or something to drink?"

Yukito's hand shot up and Sakura chuckled. "Me, too," she agreed.

Once snacks had been set out and tea made, Yukito looked over at Sakura worriedly. "What happened out there?"

"The Clow Cards aren't just mystical artifacts," Sakura began, "they're alive."

"I though I saw that the first time you used Windy," Tomoyo noted, "she obeyed but...."

"The personality of the cards seems to vary a lot," Sakura continued with her train of thought, "Fly is gentle and obedient, much like a child, Windy is a grown woman, with ideas and opinions of her own, and that Beast was simply feral." She puffed out a breath as she mused, "It really makes me wonder what the others will be like."

Yukito looked oddly uncomfortable as he asked, "And the Windy is... sexual?"

Sakura's cheeks reddened. "Yes, she is," she kept her voice even.

Tomoyo looked deeply uncomfortable as she took the teapot and refilled their cups on the gleaming dining table. "The Windy has she... I mean, have you...." she trailed off uncomfortably.

"No," the now fiercely blushing Sakura mumbled.

Yukito looked over at her sympathetically. "I guess she propositioned you, right?" he asked, mildly amused at the two women's fumbling around.

"I can't believe you asked that," Tomoyo scolded him even though privately she wished she had been able to raise that question.

Sakura looked like she wanted to sink through the floor, she was that deeply embarrassed. "Yes, Windy did," Sakura mumbled, "but I turned her down."

"Obviously it didn't take," Yukito noted as he munched a cookie. He smiled just slightly, "It's terrible to be such a babe magnet."

"Yukito!" both girl's turned to him with a frown.

Dressed in battered blue robes he walked up the steps, stopping for a moment in front of the locked door. The man with the whitish hair grasped the handle then with a single pull tore the door off, his wings flapping slightly with the motion.

"He's here," Yue murmured, closing his hawk-like eyes a second as he sensed what lay ahead of him, "I was sure that he was."

Yue strode down halls, the floors polished like glass as he made his way to the recently opened China exhibit. Oddly no alarms rang, no electronic warnings were sent out to the police department. To the many security systems it was as if he simply didn't exist.

Yue paused in front of a display case, looking in at the robes and staff that were displayed there. In a voice filled with sorrow and regret Yue murmured one word, "Master."

Visibly shaking himself Yue moved away, calmly walking over to another display. On a stand sat a book, covered with golden decorations and almost glowing in the dim light of the room. Beside it an ornate pen rested, the design perfectly matching the book it was made for. Yue raised a hand and shattered the glass, reaching in to pull the book and pen out.

"Arise, my brother," Yue held the book, the light brighter and brighter around him, "it is time to take up our Master's task once again." The insignia on the book glowed, pulsing, then it simply exploded as a golden lion materialized in front of him, powerful golden wings stretching out on either side of him.

"Who...." the lion rumbled, his voice foggy with sleep.

"Welcome back, Keroberos," Yue said with a slight smile, "there is much to do."

To be continued...


	9. 9

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Nine

The dojo was quiet now, the sounds of the battle having come to a sudden close. Scattered around on the floor were fallen figures, dressed in white gi and belted in various colors but all of them had been soundly defeated. The final woman stood her ground against their foe, her breath raspy in the eerie silence that had come after the combat.

"Ma'am," Mei-Lin nodded, her short black hair falling into her eyes. She wore simple clothes, a black shirt and pants along with light boots.

The glowing figure didn't reply, the elegant figure instead taking up a fighting stance. The golden being smiled, eyes glowing as she gestured for Mei-Lin to come at her. Her formal robes shimmered, flowing around her, looking both beautiful and athletic at the same time.

Mei-Lin moved in a blur as she murmured, "If that's the way you want it!"

They moved together swiftly, barely touching as they struck and parried, each trying to get a feel for the other's abilities. Mei-Lin was very good, that she was confident in, but oddly she couldn't seem to penetrate this mysterious woman's guard.

'I'm in trouble,' Mei-Lin realized, barely blocking another powerful blow when....

...the doors opened with a crash, the figure rushing inside with her cloak flowing around her. The brown haired woman narrowed her eyes as she swiftly took in the situation even as two figures very familiar to Mei-Lin rushed in behind her.

"Ooops, busted," Tomoyo murmured, Yukito filming away behind her as they watched.

"Fight Card," the brown haired woman muttered, "lovely." She grasped the pendant around her throat, the charm glowing as it expanded into a staff.

The Fight turned, moving towards Tomoyo and her friends but Mei-Lin moved between them even as she wiped some blood from her face, left over from a stray blow. "We aren't done," Mei-Lin said firmly before taking up her fighting stance once again.

Fight smiled, a odd warmth in her eyes as she looked thoughtfully at Mei-Lin. She nodded graciously then kicked up, nearly taking the woman's head off. Back and forth they sparred, occasional blows landing as they fought on, each striving to defeat the other. Mei-Lin tried her best to keep going but as they continued she began to tire, wilting from the length of the battle.

"We've got to help her," Yukito frowned, the blonde haired man looking on worriedly as Fight ruthlessly pounded on Mei-Lin's guard.

"Mei-Lin might win," Tomoyo muttered, "but Fight is out-lasting her, Sakura."

Sakura surprised them both by moving swiftly forward, running as she swung her staff down, distracting Fight for a moment. Fight struck out so fast that Sakura didn't even see it, belting her backwards with frightening ease. "I think I can boost your strength," Sakura managed to wheeze out to Mei-Lin, "if you'll let me...."

Mei-Lin put herself between Sakura and Fight, protecting the winded young woman reflexedly. "If you can," she answered her crisply, "then do it."

From beneath her cloak Sakura drew a card, the Beast on the face almost glowing in the dojo's dim light. "Beast card," she cried then tossed it up into the air, striking it with her staff as she cried, "lend your strength and aspect to this warrior! Beast Card!"

The Beast leapt from the card, growling at Fight even as she mist-like swirled around Mei-Lin's body. Fight stepped back in surprise, eyes widening just slightly as the mist seeped into the other woman's form, a glow shining around her.

Mei-Lin straightened up, a new vitality filling her slim form. The wounds that she had already received, a broken nose, cuts and bruises were all gone, her body glowing with new health. She moved faster than before, striking tirelessly as she and Fight fought once again.

They were evenly matched once again, and the oddly blank expression that Fight had been carrying slowly shifted to a smile. The more difficult the moves, the more hard pressed she was, the more the glowing figure seemed to enjoy the battle. They battled furiously, unyielding, each trying to utterly conquer the other.

Later on Mei-Lin couldn't even explain when the fight turned, when she finally got the upper hand on her unearthly foe. An sudden opening, the slightest faltering of Fight's guard and she struck, hammering at the woman's exposed shoulder. Following up swiftly she pressed home her attacks, using the weakened side to her fullest advantage. Finally Fight fell, a right cross rocked her head back and sending her crumpling to the floor.

"It's done," Mei-Lin sighed then, swaying slightly, she bonelessly collapsed to the ground.

".... did you know that the Beast could combine with her like that?" Tomoyo's voice asked, the sounds of a conversation bringing Mei-Lin back to consciousness.

"The cards and I share a sort of link," the woman called Sakura answered, "I could sense that the Beast could do that, basically."

"I'm just glad that no one was seriously hurt," Yukito answered, "the martial arts students at the dojo got away with only bumps and bruises."

Mei-Lin hissed as she pushed herself up from where she was laying on someone's couch, her whole body aching. "That's good to hear," she said as she felt eyes turning to her.

"Do you want some tea?" Sakura got up, pouring out a cup then carrying it over to the small house's living room.

"Thanks," Mei-Lin took a careful drink, feeling better doing something so normal after her very odd afternoon. She looked up at Sakura and asked curiously, "You're the Knight that Tomoyo's been writing about, aren't you?"

"Guilty," Sakura smiled slightly.

"Are you all right?" Tomoyo spoke up, studying Mei-Lin worriedly.

"Surprisingly, yes." Mei-Lin shifted a bit, wincing slightly as she added, "I'm stiff and sore all over, but other than that I'm fine."

"I'm glad," Sakura hesitated before she sighed and said, "I'm sorry that you had to get involved in all of this."

"Actually," Mei-Lin took another drink of tea, "I sort of enjoyed it. It was almost like the sort of things my cousin Li writes to me about."

"Li Sayorin?" Sakura blinked and Mei-Lin nodded. "Small world," she muttered.

"Hello," Yukito waved a hand as he continued, "little confused here."

"Li Sayorin is an archeologist associate of mine in China," Sakura explained, "he's also been researching Clow and the artifacts that he created."

"My cousin and I are supposed to be descended from Clow Reed," Mei-Lin added as she sat back with a sigh. "So that woman I fought was a Clow Card?"

Sakura took it out of a pocket, the Clow Card now bearing the image of a smiling woman in a fighting stance. "Captured thanks to you," she said with a smile.

"You can understand why we're keeping this a secret," Tomoyo started before being cut off.

"I won't tell anyone about what happened," Mei-Lin said firmly, " and I'm pretty sure that no one at the dojo will too, since they would also have to admit they were all beaten up by one woman. But...." Mei-Lin trailed off.

"Yes?" Sakura asked.

"My cousin is looking for any Clow Cards in China," Mei-Lin looked up as she said with determination, "I'd like to offer whatever help I can in capturing them here."

"It'll be dangerous," Yukito cautioned.

"I'm not scared," Mei-Lin calmly answered, "and there are some stories about the Clow Cards that have been passed down in our family." She flashed a smile as she continued on, "I bet that sort of information will be useful."

"I've probably heard some of them from Li already," Sakura commented. She looked at her intently and Mei-Lin could almost feel the woman assessing her. Then her face gentled in a smile as she said warmly, "I could use the help."

Mei-Lin shook the other woman's hand then blinked in surprise as she felt a hostile gaze on her. 'Wonder what's annoyed Tomoyo?' she wondered.

To be continued...


	10. 10

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Ten

The white haired young man returned to the museum, dropping down to the roof of the building on wings of silver-white. Robes that had once been tattered were pristine, now, and his eyes had lost the wild look they had once had.

"Ho, Yue," the voice rumbled as the great cat stepped from the shadows.

"Keroberos," Yue nodded regally to the golden lion as he reported, "the Fight card has been defeated, just as we expected."

"Don't start celebrating yet," Keroberos cautioned him gruffly, "there are still many more cards for her to catch, not to mention...."

"Understood," Yue nodded, "but at least we are finally regaining our strength of old, with each card that she captures and returns to the book."

"I just wish that she could find them quicker," Keroberos rumbled deep in his throat, "I think she relies on as much luck as skill."

"What are you suggesting?" Yue recognized that tone of voice.

Keroberos shrugged, "Just that she might need a guide of some sort...."

"We can't," Yue shook his head, "our Master would not be pleased in our interfering so blatantly in the Knight's path."

"Oh, I don't know," Keroberos sounded amused as he said, "I remember the Master himself bending the rules on occasion."

"Point," Yue nodded. He looked over at the lion thoughtfully a moment, "So what, exactly, were you planning?"

Keroberos just smiled a toothy grin.

The morning sun gave Tomoyo a headache as she rushed into the newspaper offices, carrying the computer disks containing her story and Yukito's photos. "Hey Tomoyo," Rika looked cheerful as the brown haired girl walked by, "the boss wants to see you."

"Thanks," Tomoyo nodded as the black haired woman detoured towards the office.

Yukito looked over at her, his blonde hair falling into those gentle eyes. "You want me along?" he asked her curiously.

"I don't think it's Knight related," Tomoyo smiled slightly as she admitted, "I think another story I wrote just went off."

"Well, good luck," Yukito waved before taking the photo disk and heading off to upload the latest set of Knight images.

Tomoyo slowed as she neared the office, feeling a flash of irritation as she met the secretary's twinkling eyes. Mei-Lin smiled, her black hair in twin ponytails as she efficiently dealt with a caller. Putting the phone down she said, "Looks like the Chief is annoyed with you."

"I'm not surprised," Tomoyo answered dryly, "considering I helped break a negative story about one of our best advertisers." Privately she added, 'Not to mention my mother's company.'

"Go on in," Mei-Lin said before adding with a sympathetic smile, "and you'd better be wearing your flack jacket."

"Thanks," Tomoyo had to smile back as she went inside.

Kaho Mitsuki looked up as Tomoyo came in, her eyes flashing angrily as the brown haired woman tossed yesterday's paper down on the desk. "Care to explain?" she demanded.

The headline read, "Fraud at highest levels of Daidouji Manufacturing' and just below it in large text was, 'Top executives implicated!' The paragraphs below spelled out what Tomoyo and several other investigative reporters had pieced together, along with police statements and other information.

"I thought it was pretty clear, actually," Tomoyo answered mildly.

"I have just spent the whole morning having my ear chewed off," Kaho scowled, "not to mention getting complaints from several of our other advertisers."

"If my mother has been one of the ones chewing," Tomoyo said harshly, "then maybe she should be spending more time cleaning her own house."

Kaho smiled wryly, "Actually, she was one of the few that wasn't."

Tomoyo gave a little smile, "I didn't think so." Seriously she said, "I am not going to edit my stories to keep our advertisers happy, ma'am. I'd sooner quit."

"And I wouldn't ask you to," Kaho replied. She slapped her hand down on the paper again loudly, startling the younger woman as she growled out, "But next time warn me when you're doing something this big!"

"Yes, ma'am," Tomoyo said sheepishly.

Kaho sat back with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose as if she had a headache. "Anything new on the Knight story?" she asked.

"More footage of her in action," Tomoyo answered promptly, "but I'm sorry to say we don't have anything else on her."

With a thoughtful look Kaho commented, "Why do I get the feeling you know more about this than you're telling?"

"Have to protect my sources, ma'am," Tomoyo answered crisply. 'I wonder what she'd say if I told her my source is the Knight herself?' she thought.

"All right," Kaho conceded. She looked at Tomoyo a few moments longer, almost as if she wanted to say something else, then simply said, "You'd better get back to work."

Kaho waited a few moments then picked up her phone, dialing a familiar number. "Hello?" Sonomi Daidouji asked crisply.

"It's Kaho," she answered, "I just got done talking to your wayward daughter."

"I don't know if I should be proud or furious over what she's done," Sonomi sounded frustrated. "Why didn't she come to me with the information," she growled, "instead of going to the papers with it?"

"She is a reporter," Kaho answered mildly.

"You know something?" Sonomi asked, picking up something in Kaho's tone of voice.

"Just that she didn't seem terribly happy with you when we were talking," Kaho related. She paused a moment, "Is there more to this estrangement between you two than you've told me?"

Sonomi sounded pained, "There is a great deal of bad blood between us, more than I can go into in a few minutes." She sighed, "We can talk about it when you come over tonight."

"I'm coming over?" Kaho asked with a slight smile.

"I hope you will," Sonomi said warmly, "I'm planning to have my cook make us something then I'm going to give her and the maid staff the night off."

"Planning something interesting?" Kaho felt herself beginning to smile.

"Oh yes," Sonomi purred.

"Then how can I say no?" Kaho laughed. More seriously she continued, "And maybe we can talk about you and Tomoyo a bit, too."

"I'll try," Sonomi agreed.

They talked a little while longer then disconnected, each returning to their work. Kaho studied the paper a moment, her thoughts turning to one of her best reporters. "Tomoyo knows more about the Knight than she's telling,' she mused, 'but what?'

The first possibility that came to mind was that Tomoyo was the Knight herself, and it wasn't one that Kaho dismissed out of hand. Writing about your own escapades wasn't that hard, and she knew Yukito was good enough of a friend to help her pull it off....

"Nah," Kaho chuckled to herself as she picked up another call.

To be continued....


	11. 11

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Eleven

Sakura Kinomoto raised her battle staff even as she fought back a smile at the situation. Behind her Yukito snapped away with his camera while Mei-lin tried her best not to laugh. "I may nnot be able to publish these pics," Yukito chuckled as the blonde man got a very good shot, "but it'll sure make great blackmail material."

"Stop laughing," Tomoyo growled, "and stop this crazy thing!"

Flower beamed, the graceful woman in a full gown firmly holding the struggling Tomoyo in her arms as she smoothly twirled them around, dancing across the rooftop. Dozens of different types of flowers flowed from the woman to flutter down around the city hall, decoratig the normally severe looking building in lovely colors.

'And to think, this started out so simply,' Sakura thought.

When the first witnesses told about the odd events around city hall Sakura had raced to the scene, soon met by Tomoyo, Yukito and Mei-lin. Using the Fly to reach the roof while the others took the elevator they had confronted the cheerfully dancing Flower. Emerging from the stairs Tomoyo had come face to face with Flower who had casually taken Tomoyo by the hand and began to dance.

"Can you capture Flower with Tomoyo so near?" Mei-lin asked, her black hair fallinng down her back in a ponytail.

"Not sure," Sakura answered, "but I have an idea."

Not letting herself thing about it too much Sakura stepped forward, extending a hand towards Flower in an obvious invitation. Flower laughed softly as she gently released Tomoyo, the dark haired girl stagering a bit as Flower took Sakura in her arms. The heady scent of Flower washed over her as they danced, the taller woman looking down at her tenderly, and it was almost with regret that Sakura brought it to an end.

Tapping Flower akwardly with the staff that she still carried Sakura cried, "Flower Card! Return to the form you were created to be! Flower!"

With a smile as welcoming as ever Flower seemed to waver, her form swirling into flowers that congregated at the point of Sakura's staff. A shinig card of light formed, blazing in the twuilight before falling into her hands as a beautifully illustrated paper card.

"Are you all right?" Sakura slid the card aay into the latest costume that Tomoyo had designed for her, a black and silver number that almost looked like something a prince might wear/

"Just a bit dizzy," Tomoyo admitted sheepishly, smiling gratefully as Sakura gently took her by the arm to steady her.

The sound of sirens off in the distance made Yukito quickly out his camera away. "We'd better get going," he reminded them, "or we'll end up trying to answer a lot of complicated questions."

"Right," Sakura used Fly, white wings unfolding from her back as she took the surprised Tomoyo into her arms. With a single sweep of her wings they were gone even as Yukito and Mei-lin raced for the stairs.

"I'm glad the rooftop door was unlockewd," Yukito sighed as they ran down the stairs.

"Yukito," Mei-lin asked thoughtfully, "what kind of relationship do Sakura and Tomoyo have?"

"They're friends," Yukito answered.

"And?" Mei-lin raised an eyebrow.

"And that's all I'm going to say," Yukito answered firmly, "Tomoyo's a friend of mine."

"That tells me a lot right there," Mei-lin stopped him on the ground floor, both of them taking a moment to catch their breaths. Looking much more composed they walked out of the lobby, nodding to the remaining evening staff before slipping outside.

The car was parked not far away in the safety of an alley, Sakura and Tomoyo waiting for them. "What took you so long?" Tomoyo asked, having recovered her usual poise.

"Next time Sakura flies one of us down," Yukito griped good-naturedly, "and you get to run down four flights of stairs."

"I'm really sorry," Sakura said earnestly, "but I can only carry one at a time."

Mei-lin gave Yukito a frown before smiling at Sakura, "It's all right, Sakura."

"Sorry to drag you out for this one, Yukito," Tomoyo made a face, "it looks like we're not going to be able to do a story on this."

Yukito chuckled softly, "Yeah, but these pics of you dancing with Flower are almost worth it. You looked adorable."

Mei-lin found herself smiling at the disgusted look on the reporter's face. The four of them climbed into Tomoyo's car and headed off, avoiding any of the police forces. "I wonder who's going to have to clean up all the flowers?" Sakura fretted.

"Probably city workers," Tomoyo answered, shaking her head. They had nearly had to swim outside the building, the flowers had been so deep around the city hall. She smiled slightly as she addressed the group, "Do you want to grab something to eat?"

"Yes," Yukito instantly answered and both Sakura and Tomoyo laughed.

Mei-lin chuckled, having heard some of the stories about Yukito's legendary appetite. "Thank you for inviting me along," she added.

"Glad to have you," Sakura turned to smile at the woman in the back seat. Facing front Sakura asked, "Has your boss calmed down now that a week has passed after your latest scoop?"

Tomoyo smiled wryly as she admitted, "Kaho Mitsuki is still annoyed that I didn't at least run it by her before we went to press."

"How did you slip tha by her, anyway?" Mei-lin asked curiously. "Normally the chief is pretty on the ball."

"The version she saw wasn't the final one," Tomoyo admitted, "though that wasn't intentional. I got full confirmation on certain bits of vital information right before our deadline, so I had to put it in at the last moment."

Sakura looked over at Tomoyo gently, "I hope that it didn't make things too difficult between you and your mother."

'Oh ho,' Mei-lin leaned forward, listening intently. 'I was wondering why the Chief was calling up Sonomi Daidouji so often,' she thought.

"Considering my mother and I don't talk much anyway," Tomoyo said quietly, "it's not too much of a loss."

"Are we there yet?" Yukito asked impishly.

Relieved to have an excuse to leave the serious conversation Tomoyo smiled, "We'll be there soon, trust me."

"Where are we going anyway?" Mei-lin asked as they turned a corner.

Sakura recognized the route and smiled slightly, "The Rose, I think." As Tomoyo nodded her agreement Sakura cotinnued, "We had dinner there once, the food is lovely."

"Toya and I have, too," Yukito agreed cheerfully.

'Well isn't that interesting,' Mei-lin fought back a flash of annoyance at the idea of Sakura and Tomoyo going out together. She was a bit surprised at the feeling, honestly, considering that she barely knew Sakura but still...

"Here we go," Tomoyo pulled up in front of the resturant, the four getting out to walk towards the front doors.

"Miss Tomoyo," Jim smiled brightly as the four of them walked inside, "and Yukito-chan! Good to see you all."

"I take it they're regulars here?" Mei-lin asked Sakura softly as the greeter talked to the two people cheerfully.

"Certainly looks like it," Sakura agreed.

"We'll find out a table in a moment," Jim said cheerfully, turning to hit a conceled call button on the front counter. A few moments a waitress arrived and they talked together softly. Jim turned back to them, "How about table six, a window seat?"

"Sounds good," Yukito said, the delicious smells from the kitchen already wafting over them.

Mei-lin took in her surroundings the way she was trained to, eyes sweeping the room. A casual style dominated, mostly single sex couples sitting at the tables. The seats themselves looked intended for romantic moments, cozily placed near to each other. 'And Tomoyo took Sakura here to dinner?' she mused, "I wonder if it was a date?'

Sakura stepped forward to pull out a chair for Tomoyo, "Would you care to sit?"

"I'd love to," Tomoyo smiled up at her happily.

Feeling a moment of whimsy Mei-lin quickly pulled out Yukito's chair, "Here you go."

Yukito blinked at her then began to laugh as he sat down. "You're a doll," he waved limply, camping it up a moment before they all shared a laugh.

To be continued...


	12. 12

Sakura, Knight of the Clow: Interlude

Windy felt a fierce joy as she raced forward, arms outstretched. The young woman's eyes met hers, long reddish brown hair flowing along with the rough woolen cloak she wore, then the ancient staff appeared and Windy tried to flee, though she knew it was too late. Those hateful words rang out as the girl struck, the binding enchantment was triggered and she was sealed away, trapped in a place that was far too limiting to one such as her.

The mistresses changed as the years wet by but Windy dealt with them coldly. They had her obedience, such as it was, but never willingly. At the command of women of so many types and styles she fought against the beasts of the darkness, the creatures that hunted humanity. Letting her rage free Windy ripped into them, as she might have wished to do to her human captors.

Windy wasn't quite sure when she became aware of the little girl, the latest in her line. The child had snuck the Clow Cards out from her mother's room, playing with them out in the back yard of their house, and she looked with wonder at the images on the cards. Windy gazed up at that face and was oddly touched, somehow, by the kindness that seemed to radiate from her.

'Who is she?' Windy wondered.

"Sakura!" the child's smiling mother picked her and the two cards up, gently scolding her little girl for playing with the cards so openly.

"The cards are lonely," Sakura explained cheerfully as they went inside.

Windy felt a moment of pure shock, wondering at the powerful sensitivity of the little girl. From within her card Windy could almost feel the child's aura, the sense of mystical power and empathy that almost seemed to swirl around her. 'Could she be the next mistress?' Windy thought, feeling oddly pleased by the fleeting idea.

Night after night they went out, she and the older woman who was called Nadesico, battling against those that would threaten the peace. Oddly Windy found herself devoting more of her efforts to the fighting, trying to protect the one whom Sakura seemed to value. She didn't examine her motives, in truth she didn't want to think about it. But in the end... her efforts were in vain.

The ogre they faced was massive, towering over the two of them, and despite her best efforts it broke free of her grip to attack. Nadesico managed to slay the ogre with the sword concealed in the staff, but her injuries were too great. Windy carried her home, carrying her on the breeze even as she faced the horrified anger of her husband and eldest son. She felt the depth of their grief, and even more so the honest confusion of poor Sakura.

The next few years were quiet for Windy, remaining in her Clow Card as Sakura went to school, graduated university and traveled abroad. The only times she was called forth was, surprisingly, when Sakura wanted some company. Surrounded by strangers in a place unfamiliar to her Sakura seemed to find comfort in talking with Windy.

Even Windy herself was startled when one day the wind elemental began to talk to Sakura, speaking the first words that she had used in... many, many centuries. Reaching out instinctively to Sakura's loneliness she sought to give her comfort, even as her own loneliness was soothed by the young woman's warmth and caring.

As the University faded to academic life Sakura began to venture forth as the champion of the Clow cards and Windy was filled with fear. The death of Nadesico haunted her, but she gained confidence in working beside Sakura, seeing the young woman's strength and capability. Using just Windy and Fly they battled against the monsters that haunted the night, even as Windy felt her own emotions... beginning to change and deepen.

"Oh my lady," Windy murmured, her ghostly form flowing around as she gazed down at Sakura, sleeping peacefully in her bed. Slipping free of the Card wasn't too difficult, at least for short periods of time, and more and more she was drawn to do this.

Sakura had grown from child to woman before her very eyes, and what had once been merely a protective emotion in Windy had grown to something more powerful. This beautiful woman was the purpose for whom Windy existed, the one she valued and fought to protect, even though she didn't even fully understand why.

Windy reached out with her hand, stroking Sakura's bare cheek as she smiled fondly. 'Is this the feeling Clow Reed told us of,' she mused, 'is this love?' She didn't know, but Windy did know that whatever Sakura asked of her she would grant, whatever Sakura needed she would have.

Whatever the cost.

Windy dissolved, the tendrils of her form swirling to pour into her waiting Clow Card. Softly she whispered, "Sleep well, Sakura, I will watch over you," then she was gone.

Windy could almost feel Sakura leap up to dodge a strike, nearly dancing in the air. From the currents that were carried on the night air she could tell that the thing that opposed them was big, nearly as tall as three men, it's body bulky and almost rocky in appearance.

Still safely sealed in her card Windy could sense other mortals out there, observing. 'Sakura, be careful,' Windy thought grimly.

Distracted a moment by the new arrivals Sakura turned in surprise, what could have been a fatal mistake. A backhand blow from the creature sent her flying away, hammering her right into a brick wall nearby the two newspaper reporters, where she slid limply to the ground.

Windy nearly exploded from the card, but she restrained herself as she watched with fury as one of the mortals cried out in alarm. She so wanted to join the battle, but she also knew that the choice had to be Sakura's. Instead she watched, simmering with emotions.

"No," the black haired woman murmured as she ran towards where she lay. "Sakura?" the stranger quickly recognized her.

"Hooee?" Sakura blinked up at her dazedly.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Yukito cried out as he ran over.

'I know him,' Windy realized as she sensed the boy, a familiar aura that had lingered in Sakura's life, 'he is the one with Toya. How did he get here?'

Sakura shook her head, the motion shaking Windy lightly as the girl tried to clear away some of the cobwebs. "I'm fine," she used Tomoyo's hand to pull herself up, swaying just a bit. The creature ran at them again and Sakura shoved the others backwards with a cry, "Get behind me!"

A heavily muscled arm came down at them, cutting through the air with a weight that nearly made Windy wince only to be blocked by that odd, bird designed staff. They stood there frozen for a moment, the creature straining to crush Sakura and the others, then the slim brown haired heaved with her shoulders to send the monster staggering away.

"I didn't want to use this," Sakura drew Windy from beneath her cloak, "but you leave me with no choice." Windy's heart sang as she held still for a second, the black clad figure oddly meditative, then she was tossed up into the air.

"Windy card!" Sakura brought her bird designed staff down onto the card, light flaring brightly as she continued, "Become the chain of punishment and bind my enemy. Windy!"

With an eagerness only matched by her anger Windy was freed, soaring up in a cloud of mist and swirling air currents. She took a moment to study the two mortals that had dared interfere with her mistress, the black haired woman and Yukito. She paused, giving them a regal glance, a slight smile appearing on her face as she gazed at Sakura. Then she turned, swooping down on the creature and binding it with her substance, forming bonds of solid air.

Even as Windy struck she knew Sakura was on the move. Right behind Windy she ran at the creature, grabbing the base of her staff and twisting it slightly. With a steely hiss she drew forth a silvery blade, the bird's head on the handle becoming the sword's hilt, even as she leapt gracefully. A single downward stroke of the weapon, a burst of black blood, and it was over.

The Windy released her ghostly bonds, flowing free of the now dead creature. The previous guardians of Clow had all been good warriors, but few could have won the victory so very quickly. She frowned, seeing the blood that splattered Sakura and swept towards her mistress. Windy swirled about Sakura and the muck that had splattered the cloak and black clothing was simply gone, carried up and away by invisible hands.

Sakura smiled in gratitude and Windy felt her heart soar once again. 'For you,' Windy thought as she reached out a gentle hand to stroke along the side of Sakura's face, 'I would do anything.' With that Windy reluctantly returned to her card, the paper falling to settle into Sakura's hands once more.

Resting by Sakura's heart Windy was lulled to sleep, even as she felt the other mortals nearby. They traveled on, going farther and farther from the battle, as she listened to them talk. 'Do not harm my lady,' Windy directed her thoughts to them as she rested, 'or you will answer to me.'

To be continued...

Notes: More than one fan has suggested a chapter from the point of view of a Clow Card, so I thought I'd get into the relationship between Windy and Sakura. Part of this appeared in Chapter Two, but I hope I've revised the material enough to keep it interesting.


	13. 13

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Thirteen

Mei-lin stood calmly, waiting as the goblins looked at them in confusion. Beside her the Beast card was impatient to strike, while Sakura stood at the other side, reddish brown hair disturbed by the evening's breeze. "They don't look like that much of a threat," Mei-lin admitted, her long mane of black hair flowing behind her.

"Individually they aren't," Sakura raised her staff, studying the short, greenish skinned figures, "it's as a group that they can hurt you. They're main attack is swarming over a enemy, overwhelming them before bringing you back to their den."

"I'll watch your back," Mei-lin said, tossing Sakura a smile.

"Me, too." Sakura agreed.

With a ragged cry the goblins charged forward, miss-shaped limbs dragging them across the cement street with startling speed. Beast's body blurred as she shifted to her wolf form, scattering the attack with fang and claw even as Mei-lin hammered her first foe, then kicked out to drop the next in a splatter of dark blood.

'They aren't human,' Mei-lin firmly reminded herself, killing another with a simple throw. Beside her Sakura fought them with surprising skill, her battle-staff spinning as she struck out again and again to fell the goblins.

"We've destroyed their nest," Sakura used a two-handed blow to crush another goblin's head, Beast ripping into the band of goblins from the back and preventing them from running away, "so this should be the last of them."

"Where are Yukio and Tomoyo?" Mei-lin had to ask, enjoying striking a final goblin down. 'And enjoying being here with Sakura-san,' she thought privately.

"A late night editorial meeting," Sakura said, calling the Beast back into her card. The feral, almost animalistic woman seemed to want to resist at first, but a intense look from Sakura and she gave in, swirling into mist that reformed the Clow card.

Together they walked over to Mei-lin's car, leaving the remaining Goblin bodies to rapidly dissolve into black muck. "I'm sorry that Tomoyo had to miss this," Mei-lin said, though in all honestly she didn't really mean it. It was nice to be all alone here with Sakura at last, the two of them standing together out in the cool night air.

"They'll be other monsters," Sakura said cheerfully as she took off her concealing cloak, folding it up and then setting it down in the back seat. She gave Mei-lin a smile as she added, "Thank you for the ride, by the way."

Mei-lin got behind the wheel, Sakura on the passenger side. "I was wondering why you didn't drive?" she asked as she started up the car.

Sakura actually chuckled. "I tend to sneak out and use the Fly card," she admitted, "you'd be surprised at how few people look up."

Mei-lin smiled, pulling into the little traffic that was out this evening. "Do you need to go right home?" she asked Sakura softly.

"Not really," Sakura blinked, looking at Mei-lin curiously.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?" she asked. Mei-lin hurried to add, "I'd really love to have some company."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, I'd like that." She brightened, "Maybe you can tell me more about China and the Clow cards."

'Well, it's not exactly a romantic dinner for two,' Mei-lin thought as she drove, 'but it's a start.' Aloud she said to Sakura, "But I thought the stories that Li told me said that Clow Reed came from Hong Kong?"

"Both Li and I are still researching that," Sakura said with a wry smile, now sounding more like the archeologist and historian that she was, "there are contradictory records. Some of them say that Clow was from China and visited Hong Kong, while others claim he began in Hong Kong, traveled to China then returned home."

"Must make researching him interesting," Mei-lin mused.

"It's a lot like putting together jigsaw puzzles," Sakura agreed, "except that someone has mixed two puzzles together and there are pieces missing."

"Well, I'm glad you and Li like this sort of puzzle," Mei-lin sighed, "I'm not quite that patient.". She thought a second then said, "Well, in the tales I've been told Clow Reed was a fortune teller, a wandering mystic of great power." An impish look over to Sakura, "And according to Li he was a capable monster fighter, too."

"That's something I hadn't heard," Sakura blinked.

"If it's true, it's quite a coincidence," Mei-lin cheerfully agreed as she smoothly drove, keeping an eye on traffic.

"Assuming it is a coincidence," Sakura muttered thoughtfully. "I need to ask Li to send me any of the monster fighter stories he has," she mused.

"I'm sorry I don't remember more of them," Mei-lin said to her sheepishly, "just something about Clow battling a gryphon and binding it into his service."

"Gryphons were legendary half lion, half eagle beasts," Sakura shook her head, "how could one have ended up in China, I wonder?"

"That and he supposedly fought a fallen angel too," Mei-lin added.

"You're pulling my chain," Sakura looked at Mei-lin in surprise.

"All truth," Mei-lin said firmly.

"Hoeee," Sakura blew out a breath. She looked thoughtful, "Y'know, I think I saw a drawing of them once, I just didn't recognize it before."

Mei-lin eased the car over, pulling in front of a local restaurant. "Looks like we're here," she said, parking the car then getting out and opening Sakura's door for her.

"Thank you," Sakura smiled innocently up at Mei-lin, taking her offered hand and then gracefully standing up.

Mei-lin felt herself blush faintly, but fought down her first reaction as she let her hand linger a moment. 'Innocent,' she reminded herself, 'Sakura is such an innocent.' Still, she held her hands they walked towards the building together.

"Welcome to The Golden Dragon," the waitress beamed, her slinky red dress clinging to her body. She continued, "A waiter will be with you soon."

"My brother used to work here," Sakura confided with a chuckle.

"Really?" Mei-lin asked as they were led over to a table.

"He liked to supplement his allowance with part time jobs," Sakura quietly explained. She looked impish, "I would keep getting surprised as a little girl, finding him working in different shops I went into."

"Must have been fun," Mei-lin admitted. Unconsciously she pulled out Sakura's chair first then sat down herself. "Do you have any preferences?" she asked, gesturing towards the menu.

"The times I've eaten here have all been good," Sakura smiled, "you can pick."

Mei-lin ordered the food, then she looked over at Sakura as the restaurant bustled around them. Even the faux Chinese decorations in the booths looked good, paper dragons, lanterns and other items giving the place a tacky sort of charm.

"What?" Sakura asked, seeing the questioning look on Mei-lin's face.

Mei-lin flashed a smile. "I was wondering," she asked, "are you seeing anyone?"

"Eh?" Sakura blinked in confusion, "Yes.. I mean no, I ..."

The girl's discomfort was so cute, Mei-lin had to fight the urge to smile. "I guess it's a bit of a confusing situation?" she asked her gently. When Sakura nodded she continued on, "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Please," Sakura smiled.

The waiter dropped off the food, leaving generously filled plates and drinks in front of them. "Who is it?" Mei-lin asked as they began to eat, silently hoping...

"Well," Sakura blushed, "I think I like Tomoyo, honestly, but..."

'Good,' Mei-lin thought, even though she knew that Tomoyo would be a difficult rival to face. 'At least Sakura seems to be open to girls,' she thought.

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Halloween Night

The white haired young man strode confidently down the street, wings of silver-white stretching from his back. Robes that had once been tattered were pristine, now, and his eyes had lost the wild look they had once had. Still, there was a unusual aura about him, a sense of dangerous potential.

Beside him a golden lion padded along, it's own golden wings shimmering as he easily kept pace. "Well," Keroberos rumbled, "at least we can walk about unnoticed, today."

"True," Yue found himself smiling slightly, taking in the crowds of costumed revelers. People were dressed in the oddest costumes, such as knights, witches, monsters and many other variations. Yue and Keroberos still stood out, but at least people seemed to thing they just had good costumes, rather than being supernatural themselves.

"Do you think he's Balmung from .Hack?" a adoring young woman asked.

"Or maybe from Angel Sanctuary," another murmured, looking at Yue intently.

"Whoever he is," both girls said nearly together, "he's GORGEOUS!"

"You seem to have acquired fans," Keroberos teased as they walked by.

"Yes, well..." Yue trailed off uncomfortably.

"Can you sense our quarry?" taking pity on him Keroberos changed the subject, raising his golden lion's head to sniff slightly at the evening breeze.

"Yes," Yue nodded, "and even better I can sense Sakura and her allies close by. It could be they'll find the card without out help."

"Possibly," Keroberos agreed. They passed a cake shop, the sweet scents wafting out then the lion's stomach rumbled softly. "Sorry," he actually blushed.

Yue laughed, remembering his companion's legendary appetite from when they had first served Clow Reed. "I'll get you some later," he promised, "after we finish tonight's task."

"Thank you,." Keroberos rumbled with as much dignity as possible.

Yue chuckled, glad to see the shoe was on the other foot.

Before Keroberos could say anything more a scream echoed off in the distance, ringing against the buildings. "Lets go," he was off, four legs eating up the ground with remarkable speed.

Yue was tempted to stretch out his wings and fly but restrained himself. They were trying to be discrete, if possible, especially with this rare opportunity to travel out in the open. Still he was puffing a bit as they raced around the corner... only to skid to a stop in disgust.

"Haunted house!" the sign declared, "Thrills and chills for all ages!"

"I can't believe you screamed like that, Usagi," the black haired girl complained as she and her blonde companion left the building.

"It was scary, Rei," she said, golden hair falling in twin streams from her head. She kept a firm grin on Rei's arm as she softly added, "I'm glad you were there to protect me."

Rei put her hand on Usagi's, squeezing slightly as they walked by Yue and Keroberos, "I'll always be here for you."

"Well that was a waste of time," Yue growled out.

Keroberos didn't answer, instead he looked at the building with a frown. "There's something..." he paused, searing for the best word then just had to settle for, "wrong here."

Yue opened his mouth to say something sarcastic about the hokey decorations around the house, then closed it again. For he, too, could feel the presence of some unknown something within the house, a power that made his skin prickle oddly. "Should we direct Sakura here somehow?" he asked after a moment's thought.

"It doesn't feel like any of Clow Reed's work," Keroberos murmured softly. He smiled just slightly, "Besides, I'm curious."

"You know the old saying about cats and curiosity?" Yue asked.

"I haven't died yet," was Keroberos dry answer.

The young lady at the door took the money, looking at Yue and Keroberos in awe. "Those are incredible costumes," she gushed.

"Thank you," Yue flashed a smile, instantly charming her. "Could you hold on a few moments before you let anyone else in?" he dropped his voice, "I want to have a chance to give my friend a good scare in there."

She laughed, slapping his arm, "You bad boy." She looked up at him with a almost predatory look, "If you want to go in there with me so that we can be all alone, I'm here till midnight."

"Looks like you've made another conquest," Keroberos laughed once they went into the gloomy interior of the building.

"Oh shut up," Yue growled, blushing.

Various skeletons, ghosts and other special effects popped out at them, but both ignored them as they moved deeper into the building. There was an increasing chill in the air, along with an odd electricity that seemed to jump from nerve to nerve.

"...help me..."

Yue frowned, looking about trying to find the voice. Unlike the sound effects that echoed through the halls this sounded genuine, from someone who was really in distress. "Did you hear that?" he asked Keroberos.

"Yes," he agreed grimly. The great cat tilted his head to the side, listening, then Keroberos nodded, "Up ahead, I think."

"I could have told you that," Yue said dryly as they walked on.

While the stage lights were still on, the area ahead seemed dimmer, almost as if something was eating the light cast into the darkness. The two walked on into the chill and dark, finally finding a closed door that was locked. Yue grabbed the handle, muscles beneath his shirt bulging slightly as he twisted and the lock broke easily.

"I could have magicked it open," Keroberos complained mildly.

"My way was faster," Yue said as he pushed open the door, a burst of stale air whooshing by them before they headed inside.

The room was stuffed with boxes and knickknacks, odd items draped over every available surface. Much of it was props, likely sorted through before this Halloween show had begun, then stowed away here until they needed to pack it all up again. The air was charged with electricity, the oppressive sense of the supernatural weighing down on both beings as they looked around warily.

"Where...?" Keroberos started to ask when she appeared.

The dust and air swirled together, mist swiftly pulling together to reveal the spirit's form. Her eyes flashed red, her almost skeletal form handing there in midair as she wailed, "Why won't someone HELP ME!"

With that painful cry the wave of power washed over them, buffeting both with supernatural force but surprisingly they held fast, the energies splitting around them. "How do you want us to help?" Keroberos asked.

She looked startled, gazing at both of them in surprise, her form shifting to a much more normal woman. "You can hear me?" she asked, "No one seemed to before!"

"We aren't exactly normal," Yue said dryly.

"Speak for yourself," Keroberos muttered.

The ghost giggled softly, then she grew serious. "I want to move on," she said softly, "but something holds me here..."

Keroberos nodded seriously, looking at her thoughtfully, his eyes glowing faintly for a few seconds. "I think I can help," he offered, then began to chant softly. The words grew louder as he continued, filling the room with a odd sort of music, then with a relieved sigh the spirit was gone.

Yue smiled as he and Keroberos walked back out of the building, "Disappointed there wasn't as monster or something?"

Keroberos shrugged slightly, "It's nice to simply help someone for a change, you know." A pause, "I think it's what Clow Reed would have wanted."

"A point," he conceded as Yue led the way out into the deepening twilight. Thankfully the amorous young woman seemed to be gone, "Let's go before..."

"There you are!" the girl's happy voice squealed.

"Oh no," Yue whimpered as she rushed up to them.

Keroberos just chuckled at the pained look on his face.

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Fifteen

Tomoyo raced through the men and women with the computer disk, eventually dropping it off at the features desk with a relieved sigh. "Finished as promised," the black haired woman sighed in relief, watching as the young man loaded up her story on his computer then nodding in approval as he quickly skimmed the file.

"Tomoyo!" the voice growled from the chief's office, causing everyone in the room to jerk to a sudden stop. Once they all realized it was the young reporter that the boss wanted, they resumed their frantic pace of work.

"Oh hell, what did I do this time?" Tomoyo muttered before the reporter headed back towards the editor in chief's offices. Walking through the open door she kept her voice as meek as possible and asked, "Yes, ma'am?"

Kaho Mitsuki looked up at Tomoyo from behind her large desk, the older brown haired woman studying her thoughtfully for a moment. "Close the door and sit down," she said, just a bit of coldness in her tone of voice.

Tomoyo sat down in the leather cushioned seat as requested, covertly studying the other woman as well and trying her best to guess exactly what was going on. 'Does she know about my working with Sakura?' she wondered. Part of her wanted to ask aloud, but she held her tongue, determined to see what Kaho wanted.

A slight smile teased Kaho's lips, then the older woman sighed. "I have a problem," she softly confessed, "one I hope you can help me with."

"Yes?" Tomoyo made it a question.

Kaho looked at her searchingly for a long moment then she surprisingly confessed, "It involves your mother."

Tomoyo kept any trace of her reaction off of her face, but it was hard. "Is she all right?" she asked, leaning forward in her chair.

"She's fine," Kaho was quick to reassure her. "It's a problem of a... more personal nature," she finally added.

"You and Sonomi are dating," Tomoyo suggested with a faint smile.

"How did you know?" Kaho blurted out in surprise, eyes flashing.

Tomoyo smiled back at her wryly, "Well, I didn't know for sure until just now, but there have been rumors, ma'am."

Kaho grumbled something uncharitable under her breath about gossipy reporters, then she reached up to run a had through her hair with a sigh. "Sonomi's birthday is coming up," she said, "and she was hoping that you'd attend." As Tomoyo opened her mouth to say something Kaho quickly moved to cut her off, "And yes, I'm aware of the issues you two seem to have, I'm just asking you to put them aside for one night."

Tomoyo looked at her boss' face, feeling a flash of sympathy for how uncomfortable this whole situation seemed to make her. "You know it isn't as easy as you're making it sound," she pointed out as gently as possible. A frown, "And why didn't she ask me herself?"

"Did you check your messages? I suspect there's a few requests from your mother to call her back," Kaho noted dryly.

Tomoyo winced at that well scored hit. She usually got a call back request from her mother at least once a week, and most of them went right into the trash. "Point made," she sighed.

"Her birthday only rolls around once a year," Kaho reminded her. A faint smile, "If I could I'd order you to go, but we've already got a society reporter covering the event."

"And I'd make a terrible society reporter," Tomoyo grumbled, silently wondering if there was any way she could make this event bearable. A thought struck her and she smiled slightly, "Could I bring a date with me?"

"I don't see why not," Kaho said with a broader smile, glad to see that Tomoyo seemed to be giving in. She hesitated a moment, studying her then gave in to the temptation to ask, "What is it between you two?"

"Mother hasn't told you?" Tomoyo raised an elegant eyebrow.

"No," Kaho studied the young woman thoughtfully, "I think she thought it was inappropriate to tell me her side, considering we work together."

"Mother always was honorable," Tomoyo conceded.

"Well?" Kaho raised an eyebrow, "If I'm going to be stuck playing referee between you two, I'd at least like to know why."

"This'll stay between us?" Tomoyo asked. When Kaho nodded she sighed, "You know that my parents divorced nearly ten years ago?"

"Yes," Kaho acknowledged, "though Sonomi hasn't told me much else."

"Probably because it was embarrassing," Tomoyo sighed. "At the time I had noticed that my mother was tending to slip away on nights that my father was out of town..."

"I think I can see where this is going," Kaho winced.

"Sonomi was having an affair with a young lady," Tomoyo confirmed. She made a face, "And to make matters worse I took photos... ones that my father eventually acquired."

"Leading to a somewhat messy divorce," Kaho nodded.

"No, my parents were already on their way there," Tomoyo sighed, "but the photos made an already complicated situation even worse. You see, father was having an affair, too, and it all came out during the divorce proceedings."

"They each probably expected to take the other to the cleaners with the photos," Kaho sounded faintly amused, "it must have came as a shock to discover they each had the other's sins documented."

"Of course Mother found out about my role in Father getting the information and she was...just a little upset, shall we say," Tomoyo kept her face carefully blank, trying not to remember the hurtful things they had both said. "We had a fight and before we could clear the air, I left for university..."

"And you two never patched things up?" Kaho blinked.

Tomoyo shrugged just a bit uncomfortably. "I was living in the university dorms," she said quietly, "and... from what she said she didn't want me home." She shook herself, banishing thoughts of the past as she asked, "Is there anything else, boss?"

Part of Kaho really wanted to pursue this, but she also could tell that Tomoyo had quite deliberately cut her off. 'And I got what I wanted, she's coming,' she reminded herself. "That's good," she said, "we'll see you and you guest at seven?"

"See you on Saturday," Tomoyo agreed, walking out with a sigh.

'I'm sensing great reluctance,' Kaho thought, closing her eyes, sitting back and rubbing at her temples. "And to think," she muttered, "getting them back together as family seemed like such a good idea a few days ago when I talked to Sonomi."

"Ma'am?" a familiar voice questioned.

Opening her eyes Kaho saw her secretary looking at her with some concern.. "Yes, Mei-Lin?" she asked the perky young woman.

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am," Mei-Lin said to her apologetically, "but you were talking to yourself again."

"Sorry," Kaho sat up, trying to focus her concentration. "Are the proof sheets ready on the latest edition?" she asked crisply.

"Yes ma'am," Mei-Lin produced the newspaper sheets and passed them over. "The webmistress was also asking for updated biographies of the staff," she added.

"She can't just make something up?" Kaho asked as she scanned the pages for errors as well as noting the empty spaces reserved for late arriving stories.

Mei-Lin looked amused, "Considering this is Rika we're talking about, she'd do a web search and do bios salted with all our deepest, darkest secrets."

"She would, too," Kaho chuckled, thinking of their enthusiastic head of files. "Any other problems?" she asked.

"Just the typical stuff," Mei-Lin shrugged casually, "fan letters, crank mail, a few threats and some roses arrived for one of the staff."

"Who?" Kaho asked curiously.

"Yukito, actually," Mei-Lin smiled thinking of the blushing blonde photographer, "from someone called Toya."

"Cute," Kaho chuckled,

To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Sixteen

Sakura Kinomoto gently took the fine brush to the piece of stone carving, the red-brown haired woman carefully shifting the dust of ages aside. It was a difficult task trying to reveal the intricate carvings beneath while not damaging any of the fragile material itself. Then the slightly dusty young woman delicately set it down on the white cloth, moving away before taking a camera and snapping off a few shots for their records while being careful not to step on her white lab coat.

Deep beneath the Tokyo Museum the restoration rooms were almost Sakura's private domain, well, hers and the rest of the specialty staff. As an archeologist and historian Sakura often helped research the correct context in which to place the new artifacts in as well as lending a delicate hand in cleaning them up, despite her own modesty about her skills.

"Miss Kinomoto," the new assistant Yue Susanoo asked curiously, his blue hair falling into his eyes, "where did you want this?" In his hands he held up a circular clapper, a type of ceremonial bell that Li had sent to Sakura as part of her Clow exhibit.

"Let me," Sakura took it then nearly dropped the golden artifact as the power pulsed through her. It was clearly a artifact of power, one that her senses told her was connected to Clow Reed, though what it's power might be eluded her.

"Is there something wrong?" Yue asked softly, seeing her stiffen in surprise.

Taking a deep breath Sakura shook off her surprise, smiling at him weakly. "It's all right," she reassure him, "just gathering wool for a moment." With reverence she set it down on a work bench, "I'll be taking a closer look at it later."

"Of course ma'am," Yue nodded.

Sakura noted the time as she stretched out, smiling tiredly. "I think we need to pack it up for the day," she said, "we can always get back to it after the weekend's over." She pulled her labcoat off, dusting off her pants and shirt as she continued, "Thank you very much for your help in sorting out this latest shipment, Yue."

"It was my pleasure, ma'am," Yue answered as he followed Sakura outside and they locked up behind them.

"If you keep calling me ma'am I'm going to have to get violent," Sakura said impishly, "just call me Sakura, please."

Yue hesitated then he nodded, "Sorry Sakura." Bidding her farewell he strode off, soon disappearing into the twilight.

Sakura blinked in surprise as she saw a familiar sportscar waiting at the bottom of the steps up to the Roman designed museum. "Tomoyo?" she asked, smiling at the dark haired reporter who was casually waiting, leaning up against the side of her car.

"Hello Sakura," Tomoyo pushed off from the side of the car then she hesitated, fidgeting a bit. "I was going to call, but since I have to ask a favor I thought I'd do so in person," she said with a self-conscious sort of amusement.

"What kind of favor?" Sakura asked, feeling faintly amused to see the usually bold Tomoyo looking so nervous.

"Let me give you a ride home," Tomoyo opened the door gracefully as she said, "and I'll tell you all about it."

"Curiouser and curiouser," Sakura said as she climbed in, Tomoyo taking the driver's seat and starting up the purring engine. "So what's going on?" she asked.

Tomoyo kept her eyes on the road as she said uncomfortably, "I've mentioned before that my mother Sonomi and I are a bit... distant."

"Yes," Sakura nodded.

"It's Sonomi's birthday this weekend," Tomoyo smiled wryly, "and I've kind of been guilt tripped into going. I was sort of hoping you'd be willing to come along as my guest."

"Would I regret asking why?" Sakura asked gently.

"My mother and I tend to snip at each other automatically," Tomoyo sighed, "I'm sort of hoping a new guest will induce us to be on our best behavior." A slight smile, "And considering how close your mom was to mine, it might be a nice gift for her to meet you."

Sakura reached out to put her hand over Tomoyo's, squeezing it softly. "You really care about your mom, don't you?" she asked.

Tomoyo shrugged uncomfortably, "I guess so, though we sure have an odd way of showing it." She smiled at Sakura as charmingly as possible, "You haven't said yes or no?"

"Yes, I'll go," Sakura laughed softly.

"Thank god," Tomoyo chuckled. She pulled up to the road in front of Sakura's house as she said, "The party starts at seven on Saturday, so I'll be here to pick you up at six?"

"Makes sense," Sakura frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her then asked, "how should I dress, by the way?"

"These parties aren't too formal," Tomoyo reassured her, "you could try wearing that outfit I got you for dinner, maybe?"

"I'd like that," Sakura smiled as she got out of the car, Tomoyo standing beside her under the soft glow of a streetlight. She smiled with amusement as she confessed, "I haven't been out on a Saturday night in ages."

Tomoyo looked surprised, "Seriously?"

"I've kind of been busy with my career and before that, university," Sakura explained.

Tomoyo got back into her car, starting up the engine as she said cheerfully, "Then you can just consider this a date."

Sakura chuckled to herself softly, smiling as she walked up to her house. "A date, huh?" she murmured, wondering if Tomoyo had meant that literally.

Across the city the young man who called himself Yue Susanoo entered his apartment and locked the door behind him, puffing out a sigh. The illusion of humanity faded and his wings reappeared, his eyes now hawklike as he ran a hand through his hair and called, "I'm home."

"About time you got here," the redheaded young woman bitched as she strode in, the slightly taller woman dressed in a simple gown, "I'm starving."

"Huh?" Yue blinked in shock.

The redhead gave him a look, "It's me, Keroberos."

"Kero?" Yue squeaked, blinking. He cleared his throat, vaguely surprised at his own reaction then managed, "I'm sorry, it's just a bit of a surprise."

"Well," Kero pointed out reasonably, "I've got to leave the apartment sometimes, and it looks a little odd having two men living together."

"True," Yue admitted.

"So, we're going out or getting delivery again?" Kero asked eagerly.

Yue gave her a frown as he reminded her, "We shouldn't be using magically created money so much, it's dishonest."

Kero scowled, "Do we have a choice? Or is your new job going to pay well enough to fund this apartment and feed us, too?"

"No, not yet," Yue sighed. They ordered the food and ate hungrily as they talked, "Sakura finally unpacked the bell, and I'm certain she recognized it."

"So she now has most of the major artifacts of Clow," Kero softly mused, "but is she wise enough to use them?"

"That would be the question," Yue nodded. He looked off in the distance, his expression oddly remote as he said, "The cards are starting to emerge... once she captures the minor houses, the other elements will appear."

"And that's when things will get really crazy," Kero munched glumly. "I'd really like to just reveal ourselves to Sakura..."

"No," Yue shook his head, "we need to be sure if she's worthy first. If we awaken the full powers of Clow in her, it could be disastrous if she's not ready."

"So we watch and wait," Kero summarized grimly.

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: The Party

"You're actually nervous," Kaho Mitsuki sounded faintly surprised as the long brown haired woman reached out to place a hand on her lover's shoulder comfortingly.

Sonomi Daidouji ran a hand through her shorter and dark hair and sighed. "Tomoyo and I always fight," she reminded her, "it's almost a law of nature."

"Maybe this year will be different," Kaho said to her gently, "she did say she was bringing a friend along."

"Maybe a professional referee?" Sonomi joked.

All around them people were finishing the final preparations for the party at the mansion, laying out the food and setting up drinks just before the first arrivals were due to arrive. Then silently the caterers and maids faded to the background, waiting to be called on to serve as needed.

Sonomi was firmly in her hostess mode as she greeted close friends and various business associates, her smile coolly welcoming and manner kept entirely professional. Kaho still couldn't get over seeing the many sides of her lover, how she could be the perfect business woman yet also such a passionate lover, too.

Kaho blinked in surprise as she saw a familiar figure smoothly glide into the entrance way, her black hair up in a fine style. "On behalf of my grandmother I thank you for inviting me," Mei-lin said as she bowed formally to Sonomi, "and I'm certain that she looks forward to working more closely with your company."

"The honor is mine," Sonomi answered with her own graceful bow, "and I hope you have a good time tonight."

"I occasionally forget how well connected Mei-lin's family is," Kaho murmured as she moved up to stand beside Sonomi, exchanging a smile and nod with the younger woman who moved off to circulate through the crowd.

Sonomi squeezed her hand gently, smiling back as they waited till Mei-lin had moved on. "They have contacts all over Hong Kong and China," she agreed, "inviting Mei-lin seemed a small enough thing to earn some good favor."

"How you holding up?" Kaho asked, seeing a flicker of nerves in her eyes.

"Just wondering when she's going to get here," Sonomi quietly admitted, "or even if she's really coming. Tomoyo isn't the type to be fashionably late."

Kaho paused as they saw a flicker of movement near the entrance then said, "I think your question just got answered."

There are some people who need to wear finery, to purchase glitter and bangles to highlight whatever natural beauty they had, but obviously Tomoyo wasn't one of them. Instead she had gone for subtle elegance, wearing a simple black dress, a touch of makeup and little silver earrings. Beside her a lovely reddish brown haired woman walked beside her, holding on to Tomoyo's arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Dr. Kinomoto?" Kaho blinked.

Sonomi smiled slightly as she whispered, "Remind me to talk to my investigators... they clearly missed the relationship between them."

"Good evening mother," Tomoyo said quietly as she neared them, "happy birthday."

"Thank you," Sonomi said as she took a small package from Tomoyo. She smiled at Tomoyo's companion, "May I ask...?"

"Like you don't know," Tomoyo murmured back with a wry smile. Louder she said, "I'd like you to meet Doctor Sakura Kinomoto."

"Just Sakura, please," she smiled as she tossed Tomoyo a amused look, "I think she gets far too much pleasure tossing my doctorate around."

Tomoyo smiled slightly, "You should be proud of it."

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura," Sonomi purred. She studied her a moment, "I think I may have known your mother, Nadesico...?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded with a faint bit of regret in her expression as she asked, "Tomoyo tells me you were cousins?"

"We were very close," Sonomi agreed.

Tomoyo frowned slightly, giving her mother a warning look. "Why don't we get some refreshments," she said, "I'm sure Sonomi has other guests she needs to see to."

"I look forward to seeing you later,." Sakura smiled as Tomoyo led her off.

"You have the oddest look on your face," Kaho said as she gently pulled Sonomi to a private corner of the grand reception hall.

"I feel like I saw a ghost," Sonomi confessed softly. She smiled wryly, "Sakura is the very image of a younger Nadesico..."

"And you were in love with her," Kaho guessed.

"Yes," Sonomi admitted, flagging down a waiter and retrieving a glass of fine wine. Taking a sip she said, "I never told her, of course."

"First love," Kaho sighed. She looked at Sonomi thoughtfully and asked, "So you've never met Sakura before?"

"I was an ass about her marriage to Kinomoto," Sonomi admitted with a sigh, "that's why we were out of touch for a while... then she died, and we never had a chance to make up."

"I'm so sorry," Kaho said, squeezing her hand gently.

Over by the buffet Sakura and Tomoyo were loading up their plates while talking together softly. "I don't think I was quite expecting a mansion," Sakura admitted, smiling faintly as she looked at Tomoyo a bit worriedly.

"Maybe I should have warned you," Tomoyo conceded the point, sipping her drink. Softly she said, "It's got fifty rooms including an indoor sauna, a ball room and a dining hall that can serve over one hundred people."

"And you grew up here?" Sakura asked.

"Sort of," Tomoyo shrugged, "in between boarding schools." She looked off into the distance, "I think I have fonder memories of the bodyguards and maids, honestly."

Softly Sakura said, "Are you all right?"

Tomoyo looked at her in surprise, then reached up to wipe at her eyes. "Sorry," she said, "coming here always makes me feel odd..."

Sakura took her hands, squeezing them gently. "From what you've told me I can understand," she said softly.

Tomoyo met those caring eyes and was surprised to feel her heart skip a beat in a most pleasant way. She opened her mouth to say something...

...when a familiar voice said, "Fancy seeing you here."

"Mei-lin," Sakura exclaimed as the elegant looking Asian woman walked up to them, her eyes sweeping over the two of them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Mei-lin said apologetically, her lips twisted in a half smile.

"That's quite all right," Tomoyo answered, sighing. She had no idea what might have happened between her and Sakura before they were interrupted, but it was clearly too late to do anything about it now. "I wasn't expecting to see you here," she added.

Mei-lin smiled calmly, "My grandmother is a business associate of Ms. Daidouji, so naturally I was invited."

"Ah," Tomoyo nodded.

"It's good to have another friend here, isn't it?" Sakura offered cheerfully.

Tomoyo smiled wryly, "I suppose so."

Mei-lin's eyes twinkled with amusement as she asked, "So what do you think of Sonomi dating the boss?"

"Hoee?" Sakura looked startled.

Tomoyo smiled at her gently, "There's been a rumor around the paper that Kaho and Sonomi are seeing each other." She nodded towards where the two older woman stood close together, "Looks like it may be true."

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: The Party Two

Sonomi took a small drink of her glass of wine, being careful not to over do it as she walked out of the building and into the gardens. The dark haired woman circulated through the crowd outside, smiling and nodding to familiar faces, then slowed as she neared the buffet tables. The center piece of the table was a ice sculpture, probably something the catering company ordered, a lovely image of a woman bursting free of the water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kaho remarked softly. She smiled slightly as she added, "Though not half as lovely as you are."

"Flatterer," Sonomi laughed softly, smiling up at the slightly taller, light brown haired woman with obvious love.

"Just the honest truth," Kaho answered honestly, taking a moment to steal a kiss.

As both woman walked away from the table they were unaware that the sculpture had cracked on one side... the eyes of the woman's face glowing brightly in the twilight as the liquid trapped in the ice began to swirl about under it's own power.

Tomoyo returned to Sakura's side within the building, giving the smaller reddish brown haired woman a sympathetic smile. Several of her superiors from the museum were here too and she had found herself being introduced around the city's elite like some kind of new toy.

"Thank you," Sakura took the drink with a relieved sigh.

"Sorry," Tomoyo gave her a gentle smile, "I didn't really expect that to happen."

"Not your fault," Sakura smiled at her warmly. She took a drink, then visibly stiffened as her eyes widened slightly.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked, unconsciously moving forward to hold Sakura's arm as the other woman swayed suddenly.

"Clow card," Sakura breathed out, "there's a Clow card here."

"Oh hell," Tomoyo cursed softly... just as the sounds of screams began outside.

Without another word Sakura and Tomoyo raced out through the glass double doors, looking around wildly as people tried to ruin in all directions, fleeing the chaos. In the middle of the open area a column of water swirled in place, on top of it a beautiful woman made of the same water gazed about with a expression of pure irritation.

Sakura looked up at the constantly shifting figure as she breathed out, "Water.. it would almost have to be."

"Do you have your Clow cards with you?" Tomoyo asked as the last of the people raced by them inside, the sounds of cars roaring off heard in the distance.

"Yes," Sakura nodded, "but none of the cards I have will help us against a Element card... especially water. I need to contain it, somehow."

"How?" Tomoyo asked reasonably.

"It looks like that ice statue," Sakura noted as she pulled her necklace out, chanting softly and causing the key to transform to her battle staff, "freezing must contain it."

"So someone deliberately sent Water to my mother?' Tomoyo frowned, her reporter's brain already speculating on possibilities.

"Wish I knew why," Sakura muttered as they moved forward cautiously towards the visibly angry elemental being.

Standing nearby Water and trying to keep two other women back was Mei Lin, the lovely young Asian woman growling, "It's too dangerous."

"Like hell it is," Kaho Mitsuki answered, "it's news!" Then she got a good look at Saukra and the staff she carried and her jaw dropped, "You!"

"I forgot that Yukito got a few good pics of you and your staff in action," Tomoyo murmured to Sakura regretfully.

Sonomi looked at them with a scowl, "What's going on?"

"Sakura is the city's protector," Kaho growled before fixing Tomoyo with a glare, "and your daughter has been keeping it a secret."

Before anything else could be said Water decided she did not want to be ignored. Lashing out with powerful streams of fluid she slashed into the earth, missing them by bare inches. "You, keeper of the Clow," Water hissed, "why are you here?"

'Well, this is one of the more talkative Clow cards,' Sakura noted, holding her staff steady in her hands. "I'm here to honor the birth of someone who is close to me," she said to her diplomatically, "and what of you, Water?"

Water tilted her head to the side, her fin-like ears appearing from beneath her long, liquid hair. "I don't know," Water finally admitted, "I remember flowing freely in the rivers of this place, then such cold... and I found myself here."

"She's talking to it?" Mei Lin blinked.

"For now," Tomoyo shrugged, wishing she had a camera with her. 'And where is Yukito when I need him?' she wondered.

"Those two," Water turned glowing blue eyes towards Sonomi and Kaho, "they insulted me... and they must pay."

"What!" Kaho was surprised a moment then she blushed as she remembered their little conversation nearby the sculpture.

"What did you do?" Sakura asked softly.

"I said that Sonomi was prettier than Water," Kaho softly admitted. Looking up at the visibly agitated Water she said, "While Sonomi is indeed lovely, so are you m'lady."

"Yes," Sonomi gritted her teeth but continued, "I don't think I could rival your beauty."

"Really?" Water suddenly reminded them of a eager teenager, rather than a dangerous elemental being. "You mean it?" she looked between them.

"You're stunning," Sakura chimmed in.

"And thin, too," Tomoyo's lips twitched wryly, "women and men like that."

Getting into the spirit of the thing Mei Lin said, "Your blue eyes are lovely, and your skin shimmers beautifully beneath the lights."

Water shifted her focus away from Sonomi and Kaho, instead flowing over towards Mei Lin. "Do you mean that?" she asked, studding her face.

Mei Lin blinked, "Well, yes."

Water reached out to touch Mei Lin's cheek, her gaze thoughtful. "Prove it," she said after a moment, "kiss me."

"Hoeee?" Sakura squeaked.

"Shhhh!" Tomoyo hushed her, watching eagerly.

"Kiss?" Mei Lin looked at Water, her eyes wide. Recovering from her surprise she stepped forward, reaching out to touch Water's soothingly cool form. "All right," she nodded.

Cool lips made of semi-solid Water met flesh, the two women standing there in a circle of pure stillness as they kissed. They separated after a moment, Water smiling as she stroked Mei Lin's cheek. "Thank you," she breathed out, "I will not forget this."

"Nor will I," Mei Lin admitted softly.

"Uhm, excuse me..." Sakura intruded uncomfortably.

Water looked at Sakura with a frown, her voice terse. "Keeper of the Clow," she said, "it's time. Bind me back into my card form."

"Water Card! Return to the form that you were meant to be," Sakura tapped it with her staff as she finished, "Water!" The outline of a card appeared in mid-air then Water flowed into it, filing it as the card solidified, the image of Water forming on it.

"Thank god that's over," Kaho sighed.

Sakura hesitated, holding the card, then calmly she passed it to Mei Lin, "I think this is yours."

"What?" Mei Lin looked surprised as she reflexedly took the card.

"I get a sense from the cards sometimes," Sakura shrugged, "she wants to be with you." She smiled, "Though I hope you'll let me borrow her."

Mei Lin nodded as she reverently took the Water card, "Certainly."

Tomoyo sighed, giving her boss a sheepish smile, "I guess we have a lot to talk about."

"That we do," Kaho agreed with deceptive mildness.

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Part Nineteen

"All right," Sonomi Daidouji demanded as they stood in her beautifully decorated library room, "how long has this been going on?" The books lining the shelves, fireplace and all the soft chairs would have normally given the room a cozy feel, but Sonomi's intense manner rather killed that effect.

"I think that's my line, love," Kaho Mitsuki pointed out mildly, the newspaper editor standing beside her simmering lover.

"Sorry," Sonomi actually smiled slightly as she said, "but she's my daughter first, your reporter second."

"I don't know if I'd agree with that," Tomoyo said dryly from where she was sitting on a couch to one side of the room, meeting her mother's eyes with a flash of resentment.

Sonomi winced at that shot.

"Tomoyo," Sakura Kinomoto put a hand on her arm, squeezing it gently. "This is all my fault," she looked away from her friend to meet Kaho and Sonomi's eyes as she lied boldly, "I made her conceal my identity."

"She did not," Tomoyo frowned.

"But..." Sakura started.

"Don't try taking all the fault on yourself," Mei-lin Li added from where she was sitting in a chair nearby.

"You're involved with this too?" Sonomi frowned.

"Hold it," Kaho raised a hand. Looking at both of them she said, "Could someone please start at the begining?"

"It's a long story," Sakura sighed. With some help from Tomoyo and Mei-Lin she sketched in the ongoing fight to capture the Clow cards, as well as hunting the monsters that seemed to haunt Tokyo.

"You said you inherited this," Sonomi gave Sakura a searching look, "does that mean your mother Nadesico did this, too?"

"Yes, she did," Sakura confirmed, deciding to mention that she had died in action. She rather thought Sonomi wouldn't want to know.

"And exactly how long were you planning to sit on this story?" Kaho coldly asked after a few moments, hands on her hips as she stared down at Tomoyo.

"I wasn't sitting on it," Tomoyo answered her with just a little smile, "just... leaving out certain facts."

"Those are pretty big facts," Kaho bit out.

"The problem is," Mei-Lin noted calmly before they could say things they might regret later, "would people believe it anyway?" As everyone looked at her she continued, "As it is there are a regular stream of letters coming in claiming all our Knight stories are just a hoax." She spread out her hands, "What are they going to do when we reveal that she's really a young woman who is a hereditary monster slayer?"

"They'd never believe it," Sonomi admitted after a second.

Kaho looked like she had a headache coming on. "That doesn't mean we aren't obligated to report it," she said.

"How about journalistic responsibility?" Sakura countered. "The only thing revealing the full truth will do is cause a panic as people discovers that there are real monsters out there, ones that only someone like me can stop."

"And has anyone tried shooting at these things?" Sonomi asked curiously.

"According to the stories my Grandmother did when she was knight," Sakura paused, "she was mauled so badly her leg never recovered."

"Lovely," Mei-Lin winced.

"Revealing the truth will do nobody any good," Tomoyo met Kaho's eyes in a silent plea, "all it will do is make Sakura's job even harder."

"All right," Kaho finaly gave up with a sigh, "we'll sit on the information on Sakura being this Knight." As everyone was looking relieved she added, "But, if the situation escalates I am not making any promises."

"Fair enough," Sakura nodded.

"Well, it looks like the party's finished," Sonomi sighed, then smiled wryly. In the chaos of Water's appearance the guests and staff had fled, leaving a disaster outside with toppled tables, spilled food and wrecked decorations.

"Is there any sign of your catering staff?" Tomoyo asked, quite willingly accepting the change of topic.

Sonomi shrugged, "I assume they headed for the hills with everyone else."

"Well," Sakura got up, offering Tomoyo a hand as she said practically, "maybe we should try to clean up a bit?"

"Why not?" Tomoyo agreed, willing to seize on any opportunity to get away from her mother, not to mention her annoyed boss.

"I'll help too," Mei-Lin joined them, casting a wary eye at her boss.

"Thanks for not jumping in to the argument to protect Sakura's identity." Kaho said as they watched the three young ladies righting tables and carefully using utensils to scoop up the ruined food.

"I was tempted," Sonomi admitted. She gave Kaho a ghost of a smile, "But I figured that with three to one odds, they'd do pretty well."

Kaho laughed, "True enough." Thoughtfully she added, "Sakura... she seems to inspire a fierce loyalty in her friends."

"I know," Sonomi said, "she has a innocent sort of charisma."

Just then Sakura took a splat of potato salad to the side of the head. Tomoyo tooked mortified, then stunned as Sakura beaned her with a dinner roll. She successfully ducked the sandwich Tomoyo tossed but poor Mei-Lin didn't dodge in time. Within moments a full on food fight was going on, the ladies ducking behind tables as they rooted about for ammo.

"And on the other hand they're ordinary women, too." Kaho laughed softly, "Do you want to go break them up?"

Laughing too Sonomi lead they way, "Break it up, I thought you were going to..."

Splat!

"Oops," Mei-Lin dropped the spoon, the bowl of rice sitting beside her.

"Why you," Sonomi snatched up a fish and joined the fray.

"I think I'll just sit over here and watch," Kaho quietly backed away as the four way food fight continued on.

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Sakura, Knight of the Clow

Yukito looked across the cafe's corner table at Tomoyo as he asked, "My god, how did the boss take it?"

"Just about as well as you'd expect," Tomoyo said while she drank from her cup of coffee, her black hair flowing back from her face. "And Sonomi wasn't too happy either," she added glumly.

"Huh," Yukito nodded, drinking too.

"So, any tips on how to smooth this over with the boss?" Tomoyo asked the older photographer quietly.

Yukito shrugged slightly, "Bring Kaho a scoop, that always cheers her up."

Tomoyo snickered softly at that, "Yeah, true. Problem is I don't have any scoops on hand right now."

"How about that historical research you were having Rika do on the Knight?" Yukito asked her as he had yet another cookie.

'That's what, his tenth? Where do they go?' Tomoyo thought with amusement. "It's interesting," she admitted as she munched on her own cookie, "but most of what I've found is useful for background, not a full story."

Yukito paused a moment, "You have that 'I know something you don't know' look on your face. What's up?"

"The Clow card, Water," Tomoyo smiled slightly grimly, "it chose to go with Mei-lin."

"Ah," Yukito nodded, "the competition is getting more serious."

"We're not competing..." Tomoyo started, then trailed off under Yukito's amused gaze. "I guess so," she conceded after a moment, "and I find myself wondering if Sakura even realizes she was two girls fighting over her."

"Have you officially asked her out?" Yukito took another cookie.

"Well, no," Tomoyo admitted with a sigh, "we have had a dinner earlier, but it was back when we first met."

"So," Yukito shrugged casually as he said, "why not take her out on a real date? Flowers at the door, a nice dinner, some dancing... I think the Locket has a good atmosphere and it's also pretty non-threatening."

"It's not as easy as you make it sound," Tomoyo blushed.

"Hey," a tall, dark brown haired man walked up to the table, dressed in a waiter's outfit. "You going to order anything other than snacks?" he asked wryly.

"Sorry Toya," Yukito smiled. "Oh," he gestured towards Tomoyo, "I'd like you to meet Tomoyo Daidouji, Sakura's friend. Tomoyo, this is Sakura's big brother."

"Oh," Tomoyo blushed slightly, looking up at the older man.

"So you're the one," Toya gave her a thoughtful glance. "Sakura talks about you a lot," he noted with a little smile.

"Really?" Tomoyo brightened.

"Yup," Toya nodded. His expression became serious as he added sternly, "She likes you a lot, so if you hurt her I'll be... annoyed."

Tomoyo gulped at the unveiled threat in the man's eyes. Toya seemed kind, but there was steel beneath his gentle surface.

"Toya," Yukito elbowed him gently, "stop scaring the lady, please."

"It's all right," Tomoyo smiled at Yukito before looking up at Toya. "I will do everything I can to avoid hurting your sister," she vowed.

"Good," Toya nodded firmly before taking their orders and leaving.

"Don't mind Mr. Grumpy," Yukito said with some amusement, "after what happened to

their mother he tends to be a bit over protective."

"I can understand that," Tomoyo gently agreed.

"Do you think we could have seconds?" Yukito asked after he finished off his second order of cookies.

"Oy," Tomoyo sighed.

Meanwhile, Sakura Kinomoto smiled to herself as the brown haired woman delicately ran a cloth over a rounded piece of clay, carefully removing the dust from the inscription. "All right," she moved back, "can I get a photo, please?"

Yue Susanoo stepped up with the digital camera, steadied it carefully then the blue haired

young man took the photo. "Dr. Kinomoto," he asked curiously, "why the photos?"

"It's Sakura, not Doctor," she reminded him wryly, wiping the dust off of her hands with a damp cloth.

"Sakura then," Yue smiled.

"Well," Sakura tucked the cloth into a pocket of her lab coat as she explained, "these artifacts are highly fragile, so handling them must be kept to a minimum. A digital photo can be studied at our leisure, and I can even use my Mac to manipulate the image in various ways to try to determine meaning."

Yue nodded, feeling just a bit foolish at not considering the uses modern technology might have. 'Then again, I haven't been active in this era too long,' he smiled. "So, what's next on the list to examine?" he asked.

"I'd like to study the Sumeragi tablet," Sakura stretched tiredly, "but I think we'd better stop for today."

"Certainly," Yue agreed as they carefully set the artifacts on the work table before covering them with a protective sheet.

The two headed out of the museum and Sakura blinked in surprise as she saw the redhead who was sitting on the steps. "About time, Yue," the woman got up, "I thought I was going to starve waiting for you."

"Kero," Yue sighed, "you didn't have to wait, you know.

"I got bored," Kero shrugged.

"Friend of yours?" Sakura smiled as she gently teased her assistant.

"Caroline," Yue improvised quickly, "but people usually just call her Kero."

"Pleased to meet you," Kero smiled sweetly. After a moment she turned to Yue, "Hello, food please!"

Yue sighed. "Excuse me," he turned to Sakura, "I'd better feed her before we have a riot on our hands."

"Have fun," Sakura smiled as the two walked away.

"I really wish you hadn't done that," Yue murmured as they walked away.

Kero frowned, "What? I just wanted to get a close look at her."

"Not that," Yue sighed, "she's a curious young lady. I don't even want to think of the assumptions she's going to make about us."

Kero laughed softly, "You're going to be teased?"

"I'm certain of it," Yue sighed glumly.

"Could we worse," Kero said as they walked on.

"How so?" Yue gave her a wary look.

Kero smirked, "I was going to kiss you hello, to maintain our couple act."

"Ack," Yue winced, "I'd never hear the end of THAT."

To be continued...


	21. Chapter 21

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Twenty one

"Tomoyo," Sakura said tentatively as the feathered cape swirled around the reddish brown haired woman, the bright pink costume glittering in the setting sunlight, "I really don't think this costume is suited to monster hunting."

"All right, the sequins might be a bit much," Tomoyo conceded, the black haired woman studying Sakura fondly.

Sakura smiled wryly as she asked her, "Well, do you have something else I could try on?"

"Come on," Tomoyo said cheerfully as she lead Sakura over to the car where several uniforms were in garment bags on the seat.

"This is your hobby, I take it?" Sakura teased as she picked up a mostly black and sky blue colored costume.

"Yup," Tomoyo agreed readily as she said, "and I've always liked seeing a beautiful woman in lovely clothes."

Sakura blushed charmingly as she unwrapped the pants, top and other pieces of gear. "Could you...?" Sakura made a turning gesture, thankful that the alley they were in would provide enough cover for a quick change.

"Of course," Tomoyo turned, her simple pant suit blending into the slowly spreading shadows of the evening. She was careful not to tell Sakura that a dirty window just in front of Tomoyo made a pretty good mirror on Sakura's changing.

Sakura took off the bright colored cape first, folding it respectfully, then pulled up the top, her bra-less breasts bouncing a bit as she moved. Gracefully she hooked her fingers into the tight pants and tugged down, revealing pink underwear in a frilly design.

'Damn,' a flushed Tomoyo squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, feeling a little bit of guilt and the beginnings of a nosebleed coming on.

Finally dressed Sakura walked over and tapped Tomoyo on the shoulder, blinking when Tomoyo turned and she saw the trickle of blood from the other woman's nose. "Are you all right?" she asked Tomoyo worriedly.

"I'm fine," Tomoyo promised as she took a hankie from her breast pocket and wiped her nose. A smile, "I think that costume suits you."

Sakura smiled back, now wearing the black pants and shirt, all designed with a light blue trim. The gloves and boots matched, with flared cuffs for style, and a high collar on the shirt to give it a almost pirate air.

"Not bad," Sakura tried a few jumps, pleased to see how easy it was to wear.

'Not bad at all,' Tomoyo thought, watching Sakura move. Shaking herself she asked, "Do we have any leads tonight?"

"Some odd sightings," Sakura confirmed, "not far from here."

Tomoyo readied her digital camera, wishing that Yukito was here. However, he had quite reasonably put his foot down and insisted on a night out with Toya, so what was she to do? "Monster or Clow Card?" she asked curiously.

"Not sure," Sakura admitted as she made sure her necklace was easy to get at, in case they encountered trouble.

"Well," Tomoyo said after making sure the car was locked up, "let's go."

A few softly chanted words transformed the key she wore around her neck into a staff, then Sakura drew forth a card from a pouch on her belt. "Fly!" she cried and struck the card with her staff, invoking it's power and summoning white wings that soon stretched from her back. "Shall we?" she offered Tomoyo her hand.

"Please," Tomoyo agreed as she stepped close to Sakura and gently wrapped her arms around her. 'This feels so nice,' she mused.

"Hup," and with a jump Sakura threw them into the air, the soft beat of her wings drawing them up into the darkening sky.

Tomoyo tightened her arms around Sakura, feeling her firm breasts pressed against her own, then forced herself to relax a bit as she swept the slightly run down section of the city with her eyes. The dark alley's and streets stretched around them, only a few people lingering here and there in the shadows.

"The city is kind of pretty, at least when seen from way up here," Tomoyo noted a bit breathlessly.

Sakura nodded as they soared along, "You're right, I..."

"AIEEEEEE!" the voice pierced the darkness.

"Sakura, over there," Tomoyo pointed wet even as Sakura changed direction in mid-air, her wings beating faster.

"I see it," Sakura answered grimly.

Sweeping back down to the dark streets Sakura and Tomoyo raced to where a young woman lay sprawled on the ground, her long black hair fanning around her. Above her a mysterious light shimmered, swirling and changing.

"What do you think?" Tomoyo murmured, her camera filming the beautiful apparition, it's colors strangely hypnotic.

"I..." Sakura trailed off, swaying slightly as her eyes widened.

Almost instinctively Tomoyo pulled Sakura back, then frowned as the other woman just looked at her blankly. "Sakura?" Tomoyo shook her gently, but the other girl seemed completely entranced. 'I hate this,' she thought then slapped her, hard.

"Ahh," Sakura jerked in surprise, looking at Tomoyo in shock.

"You all right?" Tomoyo asked her tenderly, glad to see that Sakura's eyes were clear once more.

"I think so," Sakura admitted, "I saw my mother..."

"I thought she was dead?" Tomoyo blinked.

"She is," Sakura's eyes hardened with anger as she clutched her staff.

"It wasn't a... ghost, was it?" Tomoyo looked just a bit nervously at the shining light still dancing in mid air.

Sakura saw the fear in Tomoyo's eye and smiled, for a moment shedding her anger. "No," she said, "I think it's a Clow card."

"Oh good," Tomoyo whipped out her camera, "ready!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Right," she turned to the light, raising her key-staff at the ready position. Over the years she had done a lot of research, as well as exchanged information with Li, and with that she had a good guess what she was dealing with.

The light shimmered, shifting, but this time not into her mother. Instead a image of Tomoyo appeared, but not the usual version. Naked she extended a hand in invitation, her breasts rising and falling as she gave Sakura a seductive look...

"No," Sakura shoot off the spell, summoning her will. "Illusion card, return to your power confined," she yelled as she struck with her staff, "Illusion!" The woman flickered a moment, her dress sparkling, then with a wordless curse swirled into the form of a card and dropped into Sakura's hands.

"Oooh, very nice," Tomoyo said as she put the camera away. She gave Sakura a curious look, "It seemed like she tried her illusions on you again, what did you see?"

Sakura blushed beet red. "It was nothing," she lied.

"Oh really?" Tomoyo raised a eyebrow as they started back to the car. "Tell," she insisted.

"No," Sakura shook her head.

"Please?" Tomoyo batted her eyes.

Sakura fought back a laugh, "Still no."

"Aww, come on!"

"No, no, no."

"I'll give you a cookie?"

"Tomoyo!"

To be continued...


	22. Chapter 22

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Twenty Two

Kaho Mitsuki smiled slightly as her secretary brought the documents in. "Why does Tomoyo insist on giving me a print out now?" the tall, brown haired older woman wondered out loud as she took the papers from Mei-Lin, "She could always email it to me."

"I don't know," Mei-lin answered diplomatically, the Asian girl smiling sweetly as she waited a moment for further orders.

"Don't give me that," Kaho gave her a skeptical look.

Mei-lin shrugged as she admitted, "I think handing you a printout reduces the temptation to edit her copy."

"Heh," Kaho smiled, "she forgets I'm a old fashioned reporter. I can edit her work with a pen as easily as on my computer."

"You can edit by pen?" Mei-lin teased, blinking her eyes innocently as if the idea was completely new to her.

"Get back to work," Kaho mock growled at Mei-lin as she bent over the papers, "before I have to spank you."

"Yes ma'am," Mei-lin smiled as she turned and headed back out to her desk just outside of Kaho's door.

Chuckling to herself Kaho read through the papers, nodding at times in approval. Tomoyo had done a good job tracing a scandal in city hall, following the money right back to the public works manager. The only annoying thing was that the trail stopped there. Kaho's instinct told her it went higher still, but proving it would be another matter.

Quickly, Kaho opened up a email on her computer. "Tomoyo," she wrote, "am approving story, but keep nosing around. I feel certain there's more too it than just the manager."With a nod she sent it, then sat back and drank her cold coffee.

'I wonder if I should pull Tomoyo off the Clow case?' Kaho mused, 'She might be losing her edge for the city related stories.' With a sigh she shook her head, 'No, Tomoyo is our best source on this. No way Sakura would let anyone else get as close as we are.'

"Chief," Yukito stuck his head in the door, the photographer smiling slightly, "a group of us are going to lunch. Want to come?"

"Am I paying again?" Kaho asked, remembering the last time she had been stuck with the bill. Yukito, not to mention the other reporters, ate like starving wolves.

"We're doing Dutch," Yukito smiled as he quickly added the important detail, "and my section gets figured separately."

Kaho chuckled as she rose, "Then yeah, I'll join you."

"I'll mind the store," Mei-lin said as Kaho walked by then called to the leaving reporters, "but someone please order me some take out!"

"Right," Tomoyo nodded as she held the door for Kaho, her look just a bit wary.

There had been a bit of tension between the two of them since they had both been at Sonomi's birthday party. Kaho had said she forgave the young lady for holding back on the Knight of the Clow's identity, but clearly Tomoyo wasn't sure she believed her.

'And I suppose Tomoyo's right about that, in a way,' Kaho silently admitted. The truth was she did feel angry towards Tomoyo, angry and disappointed. She had believed Tomoyo to be a good, devoted reporter, and discovering that Tomoyo could willingly withhold key facts from a story was rather surprising.

"Here we go," Rika smiled as the group reached a small café nearby the paper's offices, a usual hang out for the staff.

"Thank you," Kaho smiled to her as they entered. "Someone grab the corner table," she ordered as a few others headed to the counter.

Within a few minutes several orders of soup, sandwiches and other items were ordered and on their way as the reporters took over their usual corner spot. They sat down and dug in, even as conversation also began to flow.

"Nice job of the corruption story," Chiharu Mihara noted, the assistant editor munching on a roll as her usual twin ponytails bounced on her shoulders.

"Thanks," Tomoyo smiled, "though I have to confess to getting lucky, too. If I hadn't been out chasing the Knight story, I'd never have seen the bribe exchange with the city director of public works."

"At least you were sharp enough to spot it," Rika noted.

"And to do the digging to find out what was going on," Kaho agreed.

Tomoyo blushed charmingly. "Anyway," she waved that off, "how deep do you think his honor the mayor is in on this?"

Chiharu sighed, "Yamazaki is a habitual liar, was since school." She paused, "I still find it hard to believe he got elected."

Rika cleared her throat and gave Tomoyo a pointed look.

'Oh, they were school friends,' Kaho suddenly remembered. All three of them, Rika, Chiharu and the mayor Yamazaki had gone to school together, only separating in high school. There were also rumors around the office that Yamazaki and Chiharu had been more than just friends, too.

"So," Yukito changed the subject a bit, "Have any of you read Naoko Yanagisawa's new novel?" He smiled even as he filled his face with food, "I really liked it."

"Hard to believe out daydreaming friend could become such a good novelist," Chiharu agreed brightly. "I don't usually like fantasy but I got pulled in."

"I heard she got a good quote from Nenene Sumerigawa," Tomoyo noted, "and she's infamous in not giving out quotes."

"I've never tried it," Kaho admitted, "what's it about?"

"A girl finds a magic book that brings her dreams to life," Rika explained, "but things turn out much more messy than she expects."

"I can imagine," Kaho admitted.

"I'll lend you my copy later," Tomoyo offered cheerfully.

Kaho nodded, "Thanks, I may take you up on that." As she spooned up some soup she reflected, 'I wonder if Tomoyo and Sonomi are talking more? They actually seemed to be getting along a few days ago...'

If anything good had come out of that disastrous birthday party, it had been a thawing of the ongoing cold war between Sonomi and Tomoyo. The attendance at the birthday party and the attack of the Water had been messy, but after the food fight in the back yard Sonomi and Tomoyo had nearly seemed friendly.

'Of course,' Kaho thought as she polished off her sandwich, 'I can't arrange a disaster at each event I get the two of them to attend.' She smirked, 'Though I suppose I could ask Sakura to pull something...'

"You have the most evil smile on your face, boss," Chiharu noted, "you aren't planning something bad at work, are you?"

Kaho fought back a blush at how transparent her expression must have been. "Would I do that?" she asked with a smile.

"In a minute," both Chiharu, Rika, Tomoyo and Yukito chimed together.

Kaho scowled, "Just wait till raise time, you'll regret that."

"Don't worry," Yukito said quietly, "the day before we'll convince Sonomi to do something nice for you, so you'll be in a VERY good mood."

"Sexist," Tomoyo slapped him on the arm, "Just because things work like that between you and Toya does not mean it works that way for Kaho."

"Are you implying that I'm easy?" Yukito tried to look offended but his smile sort of countered that.

"You said it," Rika snickered.

'My staff is crazy,' Kaho thought as they got the bill from a amused waitress, 'but damn are they entertaining.'

To be continued...


	23. Chapter 23

Sakura: Knight of the Clow: Twenty Three

"Water!" Mei-lin yelled, the black haired young woman unleashing the water card to sweep across the flames.

"Thanks," Sakura grinned, the flaming figure looking startled as the brown haired woman readied her battle staff. "Spark," she cried, "return to your power confined!"

The shimmering figure fought a moment, then willingly surrendered as it flowed into a simple looking card that dropped into Sakura's hand. On the front was a young woman holding a small flame cupped protectively in her hands.

"It's pretty," Mei-lin admitted as she looked it over.

"Yes, it is," Sakura agreed as she tucked the card away, "it's the minor incarnation of the fire element."

"Minor incarnation?" Mei-Lin blinked.

"We'll have to face the full power of Fire later," Sakura confessed. Pushing back her hood she grabbed Mei-lin's hand, "We'd better hurry before someone comes."

"Calm down," Mei-lin said, though she was clearly not bothered by Sakura holding her hand. "Just walk slowly away from the scene," she advised, "panicked fleeing just draws more attention to you."

"You're right," Sakura admitted as they left the side street, glad that this neighborhood was mostly quiet over night.

Mei-lin kept a firm hold of Sakura's hand as she carefully guided them to a spot she knew, feeling a slight thrill at the contact. "Do you need to get back home?" she wondered, her simple red dress swirling around her legs.

Even with her cloak on Sakura looked more boyish, having chosen pants and a basic shirt to wear for their quest to bring in a Clow Card. Despite the fact she chose clothes for practicality, Sakura still managed to look cute. "Well, I need to sleep for work tomorrow," Sakura admitted, "but other than that..."

'Good,' Mei-lin thought, 'she didn't mention going home or to see Tomoyo...' Aloud she said, "Do you want to get something to eat?"

Almost on cue Sakura's stomach growled softly. "Sorry," she blushed faintly, "I'd love something to eat."

"Come on then," Mei-lin tugged on Sakura's hand as she said, "we're near Shinjuku and I know just the place!"

"Don't tug," Sakura laughed, following.

It wasn't too obvious that there was even a club there as Mei-lin led them up both up a flight of stairs a few blocks later, both of them a bit out of breath from tonight's exertions. Tucked away in a high rise with a kareoke box and a manga store was a sign for Lily's, up on the third floor and at the corner of the building.

"This is...?" Sakura looked at her questioningly.

Mei-lin smiled gently as she opened the door and repeated, "Come on."

Inside was a small room, but carefully arranged for the maximum space. Along the inside wall was a bar, lined with people looking at them curiously, while up against the windows small tables looked out at the glittering city.

"Hoeee..." Sakura murmured softly as they passed by the eyes of the women who filled the little club.

The blue haired woman at the bar smiled, her gestures smooth and elegant. "Good to see you, Mei-lin," she said then dropped her voice, "who's your cute friend?"

"This is my friend Sakura," Mei-lin smiled, "Sakura, this is my friend Umi, who runs this place with her girlfriends Hikaru and Fuu."

"Do you have to tell about my girlfriends?" Umi complained cheerfully, "It completely spoils my chance to pick up unwary girls."

"She's joking," Mei-lin reassured the mildly stunned Sakura.

"She's right," Umi agreed, "I'm pretty much harmless." She turned to the assortment of drinks, "What can I get you?"

"Beer for me," Mei-lin said, then looked questioningly at Sakura.

Sakura frowned slightly, "Rum and coke, easy on the rum."

"Coming right up," Umi used the fountain to pour a drink for Mei-lin then poured a bit of rum in a glass and added coke.

"Thank you," Mei-lin said, "put it on my tab." She lead the way to a window seat, where they looked out over a busy road. "I hope I haven't surprised you," she said quietly.

"Sort of," Sakura smiled slightly as she said, "but mostly because I was expecting some little café, not this..."

"Oops," Mei-lin blushed. 'Damn it,' she thought, 'I pushed her it seems.' She looked at Sakura, "So you're not shocked?"

Sakura actually chuckled softly as she took a drink, "I work in a museum. I deal with gay and lesbian artists all the time."

"Good," and with that Mei-lin reached over to take her hand.

Sakura met her eyes questioningly, "Mei-lin?"

Giving into the urge Mei-lin leaned forward a bit, gently pressing her lips to Sakura's in answer to her question. To her dismay she felt Sakura stiffen up then pull back, and both sat there awkwardly a moment in silence.

"I'm sorry," Mei-lin finally said.

Sakura was blushing furiously, "Mei-lin, I didn't realize..."

'God she's innocent,' Mei-lin sighed, realizing that Sakura had been entirely unaware of Mei-lin's feelings towards her. "It's all right," she made herself say, even though she felt like she had been punched in the gut.

Sakura sighed softly, "This time I'm sorry." She looked up, "How long...?"

"Have I had a crush on you?" Mei-lin finished. She shrugged, "A few weeks."

"I feel very stupid right now," Sakura admitted.

"Not your fault," Mei-lin said as she smoothly finished her beer. Noticing that Sakura was done her rum and coke she rose, "Wanna get out of here?"

"Can we get a sandwich to go?" Sakura asked plaintively.

Mei-lin had to smile, "Sure.

"Leaving so soon?" Umi asked, her expression sympathetic.

"Yeah," Mei-lin shrugged uncomfortably as she put in a order for two sandwiches to go.

Handing the bag over a few moments later Umi softly said, "Don't be a stranger, I'm sure Hikaru and Fuu would love to see you."

They went down the stairs in silence, then Mei-lin unwrapped the sandwiches and passed one to Sakura. "Thanks," Sakura said as she took a bite, "do you know Umi well?"

"We've been friends for a while," Mei-lin admitted as she munched her own food. She looked at Sakura hesitantly, "This isn't going to stop you from working with me, will it?"

Saukra reached out and squeezed Mei-lin's shoulder as she promised, "Of course not."

Mei-lin was good at reading people, and she was glad to see no nervousness or fear in Sakura's eyes. "I'm glad," she smiled.

To be continued...


	24. Chapter 24

Sakura, Knight of the Clow

Chapter 24

"Well, that was interesting," Kero staggered away, the winged lion collapsing weakly before shimmering into her human form. The slightly battered woman looked up through golden hair, "Why did we do this again?"

Yue sat down beside her, his blue hair flowing gracefully as he made his wings disappear. "I wanted to see if the barrier still existed," he sighed as they looked up at the old clock tower, "and it appears it still does."

"Way to go, Mr Obvious," Kero sighed. She sat up tiredly as she asked, "You think the artifact is in there?"

"The barrier and the artifact go together," Yue reminded her, "it's in there."

"So how do we get at it?" Kero asked. "It's mostly immune to our powers," she thought to herself out loud.

"But the powers of others might work," Yue nodded thoughtfully.

Kero smiled, glad their thoughts were running in the same direction, "So how do you want to maneuver her?"

"Oh," Yue rose before offering Kero his hand to help pull her up, "I'm sure we can think of something."

Meanwhile, Tomoyo Daidouji took off her coat, the black haired woman frowning as she tried to digest what she had just learned. 'Damn that Mei-lin,' she thought as she strode through her apartment, 'how DARE she...?!'

Of course, what really annoyed Tomoyo was how Mei-lin nearly got the drop on her, taking out Sakura on a date like that. Thankfully Sakura wasn't interested in her the same way, but it still stunned Tomoyo that the other woman could be so aggressive.

"I suppose I should have expected it," Tomoyo said to herself as she sat down with a sigh, "Sakura is so cute anyone would be tempted." She smiled as she thought of Sakura's many fine qualities, from her lovely hair to her shapely body...

The ringing phone was a unwelcome interruption, and part of her was tempted to let the answering machine get it. But it could be a tip or a message from one of her confidential sources, and one of them likely wouldn't leave a message...

"Tomoyo Daidouji speaking," she picked it up, making her voice sound brisk.

"Hey Tomoyo," the quiet voice answered, as usual sounding like he was whispering through a paper bag.

Tomoyo sat up in her seat, quickly reaching out to grab the notepad she kept by her phone. While her contact always disguised his or her voice, the information that this particular contact had provided her was almost always accurate. "Hey," she answered cautiously, "what do you have for me?"

"His honor the mayor is pretty upset," the voice answered quietly, "I think he's taking your corruption story personally."

"Then he should be keeping his hands cleaner," Tomoyo answered dryly. The fallout from her recent corruption story in city hall was still being felt on the council, and the mayor's approval ratings were terribly low. While so far nothing had stuck to him directly, most citizens felt he either was involved or should have known about it and stopped it.

"Maybe," her source conceded as he continued, "but since he doesn't dare take a shot at you directly, he's been pulling strings to target someone associated with you."

"Oh?" Tomoyo frowned.

"The head of the museum owes him some favors," the voice said grimly, "the mayor is trying to get your friend Sakura fired."

Tomoyo jerked up in surprise, "Son of a bitch!"

"His honor's certainly that," her contact agreed. "I'll try to get more information to you, but I can't promise anything," and with that Tomoyo heard just the dial tone.

With a grim expression Tomoyo put the phone down, her own thoughts racing. While she had expected the Mayor to bear a grudge against her, she hadn't expected him to do something like this. 'And I should have,' Tomoyo admitted silently, knowing how dirty the last fight for the mayor's office had been.

With a few phone calls to other reliable sources Tomoyo quickly confirmed that yes, the head of the museum was a close personal friend of the mayor, and that a review of Sakura's position at the museum was coming up. A few more calls to people that Tomoyo knew on the museum's board let them know what the mayor was up to, and she hoped they'd act to help protect Sakura from a unjust review.

'There's only one person I haven't called,' Tomoyo put her hand on the phone, hesitating before making herself dial.

"Sonomi Daidouji's office," the perfectly professional secretary answered crisply as she asked, "how may I help you?"

"I'd like to speak with Sonomi," Tomoyo answered, noting that it seemed to be a new girl. 'Or at least I don't recognize the voice,' she thought.

"May I ask who's calling?" the secretary asked, her tone of voice implying that unless you were the Prime Minister of Japan, you were not getting through.

Fighting back a smile she answered, "This is her daughter, Tomoyo. Is Sonomi in?"

"Oh," the tone of the secretary's voice changed completely, "I'll see if she's in."

"I'd appreciate that," Tomoyo smiled faintly as she waited.

"Here you go," the secretary paused a moment, "And I wanted to say I'm a big fan. I've been following your career, and your writing is brilliant."

Tomoyo blushed, "Thank you."

"Who are you," Sonomi sounded very amused as she came on, "and how did you charm my new, normally frightening secretary?"

Tomoyo had to chuckle softly, "She likes good writing?"

"I suppose I'll let that go," Sonomi said, a smile evident in her tone of voice.

'My goodness, I think we're actually getting along,' Tomoyo thought to herself wryly, wondering if her mother had changed or if she had possibly grown up a bit.

"So," Sonomi said after a moment, "to what I owe the pleasure of this call?"

Tomoyo felt her usual reluctance to call on her mother rise up, and firmly squashed it. "I have a problem," she admitted, "and I need your help."

"Oh?" Sonomi actually sounded a bit surprised.

"It's complicated," Tomoyo admitted as she sketched in the mayors reaction to her story and his possible move against Sakura.

"That son of a...," Sonomi cursed softly, her fury visible even over the phone. "I know politics can be dirty, but this is too much," she said flatly.

"Agreed," Tomoyo said to her mother quietly, "I've got his opponents on the museum board primed to fight this if needed, but I was wondering if you know of any ways to pull his teeth in a more... direct way?"

Sonomi thought about it, "I never contributed to his campaign, so I can't threaten him with that, but I think I know who did."

Tomoyo leaned forward in her chair, "And you think they'll...?"

"The president of CLAMP University would be most upset by this," Sonomi reassured her, "trust me, once I talk to her he's in serious trouble."

"Good," Tomoyo said as she relaxed again.

Sonomi paused for a moment then added in a much quieter tone of voice, "Thank you for asking, Tomoyo."

"Eh?" Tomoyo blinked.

"You haven't asked for my help very often," Sonomi said to her daughter simply, "it feels nice to help you for a change."

Tomoyo almost wanted to snap at her mother, but she understood it was more reflex than anything. "I'm glad you could help," she answered honestly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sonomi answered. She paused then added teasingly, "I don't suppose you could warn me, next time you find a scandal at the company?"

Tomoyo felt herself smile, "Oh I'll think about it."

Sonomi chuckled, "I'll believe that when I see it." She paused then added with some annoyance, "My overly efficient secretary just reminded me of a appointment, I have to go."

"Then I'll let you go," Tomoyo paused before deciding to add, "but I'll call you later."

"I'd like that," Sonomi agreed before they said their farewells.

As Tomoyo set the phone down she sighed, sitting back in her chair. It felt good, fighting for Sakura like this, and hopefully the lady would never know Tomoyo had needed to do it. At least, Tomoyo hoped her innocent friend wouldn't find out, she didn't need to know about scum like the mayor.

"I feel like celebrating," Tomoyo mused as she looked out at the evening sky, "maybe I'll call Sakura and see if she wants to share dinner?"

To be continued...


	25. Chapter 25

Sakura, Knight of the Clow

Chapter 25

Sakura Kinomoto frowned as her superior in the museum gazed at her from his office with a oddly confused expression, as if he wasn't sure to be angry with her or afraid of her. Sakura found herself wanting to ask him what was going on several times that day, but couldn't quite get up the nerve.

Thankfully, she had her loyal assistant to distract her. "Yes ma'am," Yue Susanoo said as he held the artifact gently in sterile gloves, "ready to go."

Sakura activated the air brush and used it to carefully blow dust out of the grooves of the round cylinder. "Please turn it slowly," she ordered as she worked slowly over the face of the artifact, her expression focused and intent.

"This is a new technique?" Yue wondered softly.

"A variation of a old one," Sakura admitted as she worked, "just updated a bit with more modern equipment."

Yue turned it slowly as he watched Sakura cleaning away years of dust and revealing symbols that were eerily familiar to him. 'More of Clow Reed's work?' he blinked, 'Is Sakura making a hobby of collecting his items?'

"There we go," Sakura murmured as she set the airbrush down and put the stone on top of a sterile sheet, "now we just have to confirm if it's an original or a copy."

"Copy?" Yue blinked.

"It looks like a Clow Reed design," Sakura conceded thoughtfully, "but I've found out he was a relatively well known figure in his time." She stood up after bending down to look at a inscription, "other magicians sometimes tried to take advantage by claiming they had powerful Clow made items."

"I see," Yue conceded, not having seen that possibility before.

Sakura pushed her hair back, "First, I'll need to translate the inscription. If that checks out we'll carbon date it to confirm it's from Reed's era."

Yue nodded slightly, "It sounds complicated."

"Then we still have to decide if it's actually made by Reed or not," Sakura noted as they cleaned up the work area in preparation for working on another artifact.

Yue had to ask, "What makes the final determination?"

"Honestly?" Sakura looked at Yue wryly, "My gut feelings along with lots of consulting in the archeological community."

"You're serious?" Yue's lips twitched with a smile.

"Afraid so," Sakura admitted, "there's a lot of documented facts in archeology, but a lot of it's just informed opinion too." Before she could continue the phone rang, making both of them jump a bit.

"I'll get it," Yue said as he briskly picked up the phone, "Dr, Kinomoto's office, how can I help you?" He paused as he recognized the voice and began to smile, "Why yes, she's in, I'll put you right through." With that Yue passed her the phone as he said with a impish wink, "It's that cute reporter."

"Thanks," Sakura blushed as she took it from him. "Hello?" she asked.

Tomoyo Daidouji's voice was warm as she asked, "How was your day?"

"Not bad," Sakura admitted, thinking of her superior's rather odd behavior over the last day. "Ah, you wouldn't have done something to upset my boss?"

"Well...." Tomoyo trailed off, "kinda."

Sakura had to smile, "Kinda?"

"It's a complicated story," Tomoyo quickly added, "besides, we have a bigger problem."

"Clow card?" Sakura dropped her voice.

"Looks like it," Tomoyo answered, "got a phone tip on weird stuff going on downtown, Yukito and I are going to check it out."

"Where?" Sakura asked, grabbing a piece of paper as Tomoyo specified a district and street, "I'll meet you there."

"You need to go?" Yue asked as Sakura hung up the phone.

"Yes, sorry," Sakura said briskly. "You can close up?"

Yue saluted, "Yes, ma'am."

Sakura shook her head with a smile, "Don't start that, Yue. See you later!"

As Sakura left Yue looked around cautiously then peered thoughtfully at the cylinder, then spoke a certain word. The lettering on the artifact flared blue a moment then guttered out, leaving it unremarkable stone once more.

"Yep," Yue noted, "fake."

Meanwhile, Sakura ducked into the nearest open alley, quickly searching for any passerby. Satisfied the coast was clear Sakura drew a card from her vest and cried, "Fly card, grant me wings! Fly!"

At almost exactly the same time a car whipped around the corner dangerously, wheels squealing in the afternoon sun. "Slow down," Yukito yelped, the sandy blonde haired young man clutching the dashboard.

"We aren't going THAT fast," Tomoyo answered as she wrenched them up on the sidewalk to evade a stopped car.

"Toya, if I don't make it," Yukito murmured, squeezing his eyes closed, "I love you."

Bumping over the median they raced across a thankfully bare road then up into a parking lot, weaving through parked cars as they took a short cut. "Get your eyes open," Tomoyo ordered, "and check the map!"

"Right," Yukito made himself dig the map out of the glove box and check their location versus the landmarks. "We're close," he concluded.

From a nearly clear sky thunder boomed, then lightning flashed downward to strike a car not too far away. "You think?" Tomoyo yelped as she brought them to a skidding stop just short of the sudden rain that poured down from a clump of clouds.

Without thinking about it Yukito whipped his camera out, zooming in on the dark bundle of clouds and seeing a boyish figure in armor slipping in and out of the clouds. "I see someone." he murmured, snapping off shots.

"It's got to be a Clow Card," Tomoyo breathed out even as she realized that the boy had seen them.

Before it could get too close Sakura swept down from the blue sky, confronting the mini-storm while floating in mid-air, her battle staff in hand. The boy gestured and lightning lanced out but Sakura was ready, whipping a card out and crying, "Shield!"

True to it's nature the Shield card stopped the bolt, but the impact itself was enough to throw Sakura backwards. Without thinking about it Tomoyo popped her door open and raced out, hurrying to catch Sakura before the stunned woman could hit the ground. "Oof," she grunted as they both collapsed to the ground, apparently all right.

"Tomoyo," Sakura smiled weakly, "thank you,"

Tomoyto reached out and caressed her cheek, "I'm glad you're all right."

Sakura smiled at her, then her eyes widened as she looked up in the sky. Grabbing Tomoyo she rolled them away as another lightning bolt crashed down at them, blasting at the cement where they had been sitting. Sakura pulled free and stood, her body quivering with anger, "You tried to hurt Tomoyo! I cannot forgive you!"

"Wow," Yukito blinked as he watched from the relative safety of the car, "I've never seen Sakura that angry."

Drawing a card out from her vest Sakura activated it, "Windy! Become the chain of punishment! Windy!"

The Windy manifested, looking like a beautiful kimono clad woman with long hair, but there was something different about her this time. She seemed to have picked up on Sakura's anger, her own eyes narrowed and grim as she raced off. Soaring up towards the storm she swept in quickly, dodging bolts of lightning to encircle her foe. The other card tried to fight but she was too strong, subduing him and dragging him down to earth.

"Storm Card!" Sakura cried as she held her staff at the ready, "Return to your power confined! Storm!" With a weak cry the Storm was drawn into the square shape of the card, light shimmering and sparks flying until the energy faded and the card dropped peacefully into Sakura's extended hand.

Windy hovered there in midair studying Sakura, then looking over at Tomoyo, her expression thoughtful. She reached out a ghostly hand and placed it on Tomoyo's head, then nodded once sharply. With that she swirled back into her own card form in Sakura's hand.

"Get in the car!" Yukito yelled as the storm effects in the sky began to fade, "we're in broad daylight here! We don't want anyone getting a chance to see us!"

"Right," Tomoyo shook off the odd sensation Windy's touch had left and grabbed Sakura as they hurried over to the car. Nearly tossing Sakura into the back seat Tomoyo then hurried to jump in the driver's side, starting the motor and taking off. "Are you all right?" Tomoyo asked Sakura worriedly, driving at a carefully controlled rate.

"I'm fine," Sakura said as she added, "And I should be asking you that! You didn't hurt yourself catching me?"

"I'm okay," Tomoyo smiled at her comfortingly.

"You're driving a lot more sedately than normal," Yukito noted, sounding surprised.

Tomoyo smiled slightly as she explained, "Running away fast gets official attention. Driving away slowly lets you blend in a bit."

To be continued....


	26. Chapter 26

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Twenty-six

Sakura Kinomoto nodded at Yukito as the red-brown haired woman said to him briskly, "I'm going to follow Tomoyo up to her apartment. She's really sore from catching me earlier, and might need some help."

"I'm fine," Tomoyo Daidouji said firmly as she got out from the car then visibly winced in pain as she stretched sore muscles. While she had thought she was fine during the fight, it seemed the excitement of the moment had been covering up the injury.

Sakura caught her as she nearly fell, holding her gently in her arms. "You are not fine," she said gently, "you're battered and bruised. Let me take care of you for once, all right?"

"But...," Tomoyo started, feeling her heart race as Sakura held her close. Tomoyo breathed deep as she took in Sakura's sweet scent, a mix of soap, museum dust and the outdoors and shivered a little.

"She's right, Tomoyo," Yukito told her gently as his sandy brown hair fell into his eyes. "I'll borrow your car to get home and bring it back tomorrow morning."

Tomoyo wanted to argue, but in all honesty she really did hurt all over. Besides, it felt nice to lean on Sakura like this.... The black haired reporter nodded reluctantly as she said, "All right, I give in. But Yukito, my car had better not have any new marks on it when you bring it back!"

"I'll treat it like a baby," Yukito promised her as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb, the tail lights soon disappearing into the distance.

"He'd better or I'll...," Tomoyo grumbled under her breath as they walked over to the building, Tomoyo leaning on Sakura's arm.

"It was on the tenth floor, right?" Sakura recalled as she helped Tomoyo over to the pin pad.

Tomoyo typed with calm capability as she nodded, "You remembered." She smiled, "I'm glad."

Together they pushed the door open and walked to the elevator, the call button summoning the finely carpeted cube for them. Gently Sakura helped her inside then the two young women rose, the soft music flowing around them both. The numbers lit up one by one as they climbed, standing close together on the thick carpet.

"You'll have to get your key out," Sakura noted as they reached the right floor, taking their time walking from the elevator to Tomoyo's large Apartment.

"Right," Tomoyo agreed, envying Sakura her quick recovery as she pulled out her keys with a slight wince of pain. She had suspected the other woman gained a kind of healing ability as she gathered the Clow Cards, but there was no way to know for sure.

Sakura shouldered the door open, then looked around. "Do you want the living room couch," she wondered, "or should I take you to your bedroom?"

Tomoyo mentally assessed her aches and pains then sighed. "Bedroom, I think," she admitted reluctantly, "I just want to lay down and get some muscle rub applied."

"Then let's go," Sakura agreed, only pausing to get Tomoyo to tell her which hall lead to it. In a surprising burst of strength Sakura picked Tomoyo up, cradling her in her arms.

"Hey!" Tomoyo yelped, surprised.

"Hush," Sakura gently carried her into the bedroom, taking in the details absentmindedly. A desk over in the corner had a modern laptop set up, with papers strewn around the surface. Some were held down by pens and pencils, a stack weighed down with the cordless phone. Some clothes were draped over a chair while several fancy costumes waited in garment bags to be used. "More costumes for me?" Sakura wondered.

Tomoyo blushed as she was set down on the large bed. "A few I've finished," she agreed, "I have a sewing room where I'm working on more."

"I look forward to seeing them," Sakura blushed faintly. She briskly walked towareds the bathroom door as she called, "Roll over on your belly."

"Eh?!" Tomoyo yelped, looking over at Sakura in surprise as she opened up the medicine cabinet and rooted around inside for a moment.

Sakura emerged carrying a jar as she said reasonably, "You strained you muscles catching me, the least I can do is spread this over your back."

Tomoyo struggled to sit up as she said, "No, you really don't need to...."

"I can see ho much that hurts," Sakura said firmly, "let me help." Setting the jar down she briskly added, "Do you want to undress or should I just push the clothes aside?"

Tomoyo reluctantly rolled over on her belly as she said weakly, "Just pushing up the shirt is fine."

"Okay," Sakura said cheerfully as she sat down on the side of the bed, setting the jar down on a table nearby. "Let's see...," she murmured as she untucked Tomoyo's shirt from her dress pnts, pusing it up to reveal creamy white skin.

Tomoyo shivered as she felt her skin being exposed, then sighed softly at Sakura's touch. 'This is torture,' she thought, wishing she felt better so she could enjoy Sakura's touch more. 'Not that this isn't bad,' she admitted as the other woman began to smooth the cream over her back.

"Let me know if this hurts," Sakura murmured as she started as the small of her back, rubbing in the cream in a circular motion.

"It's fine," Tomoyo bit back a moan as she felt Sakura's fingers brush across her bottom.

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Sakura said cheerfully as she leaned over to massage the muscles in Tomoyo's back.

'I have such a dirty mind,' Tomoyo mentally laughed as she imagined what she would do in Sakura's place. It didn't help that Sakura had such a delicate touch, her fingers and hands making Tomoyo coo almost unwillingly.

Sakura stroked her hand up between Tomoyo's shoulder blades, pausing as her hand caught on the bra strap. "This is in the way," she noted quietly, "do you mind if I undo it?"

"Uh...," Tomoyo flushed, "sure."

With a soft snap Sakura got the straps out of the way, her hands moving in soothing circles across her back. Taking her time she gently worked the aching muscles of Tomoyo's back even as she watched the other woman gradually relax. Finally she sat back, satisfied she had done all she could.

"How does that feel?" Sakura murmured.

"...." Tomoyo shifted a bit, her eyes closed as she lay limply on the bed.

Sakura looked at her in surprise then fought back a giggle. Tomoyo had fallen asleep! She gazed as her sleeping face and felt a deep flash of tenderness, reaching out to push a bit of her dark hair from her face. "You're beautiful," she murmured, for a moment tempted to wake her up. 'No,' Sakura told herself firmly, 'she's probably been working longer hours than I have.'

Sakura got up off the bed, then hesitated. She would need to call a taxi, or possibly flag down a bus, head home and catch a few hours sleep. Or.... Making a fast decision Sakura began to strip, carefully folding her clothes till all she wore was her shirt. Carefully she climbed back on the bed and settled on the empty side of the bed, soon falling asleep as well.

To be continued....


	27. Chapter 27

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Tomoyo Daidouji lay in bed, the warmth comforting the black haired woman as she cuddled by the firm shape. Muzzy thoughts from the day before tickled her mind as Tomoyo breathed in a familiar scent, her nose in someone's hair.

'A Clow card shot her out of the sky,' Tomoyo remembered as her arms reflexedly tightened, 'I caught Sakura.'

They had dove into the car and hurried away, then made it back to Tomoyo's apartment building. Torn muscles and bruising made it hard to walk so Sakura had helped her up to her apartment then carried Tomoyo to the bed.

'Just like a prince with her princess,' Tomoyo wryly thought to herself, 'too bad I wasn't in any condition to appreciate it.'

Sakura ordered Tomoyo onto her belly then she had returned with a container of muscle relaxant, which Sakura spread liberally over Tomoyo's back. Climbing onto the bed Sakura was very thorough in massaging the sore, aching body of Tomoyo, her hands generating thrills that even her sore muscles couldn't ignore.

'Sakura massaged me,' Tomoyo remembered, 'and I must have fallen asleep.' The question was, how did Tomoyo go from being massaged to waking up with her face in hair?

Nervously Tomoyo opened her eyes, taking in some very familiar red-brown hair that her face was pressing up against. A odd mix of awe and horror filled her as Tomoyo shifted carefully, trying not to wake her companion as she got a good look at the bra and panties clad woman.

'Oh my god,' Tomoyo thought as her eyes widened, taking in the full beauty of Sakura Kinomoto. Sleeping peacefully in her arms Sakura looked like a angel, caught by human arms and held with her willing permission. Her moderately sized breasts looked good enough to eat even in the poorly designed white bra, and her very nicely shaped butt was pushing into Tomoyo's crotch.

"Urglflth," Sakura made a incoherent sound in the back of her throat, the smaller woman snuggling into Tomoyo's arms.

'My one arm is under her,' Tomoyo thought as she tried to figure out how to get out of the bed and leave Sakura in peace. She didn't want to imagine Sakura's reaction to waking in her arms... it might be okay, but she was too scared to try. Carefully she began to ease her arm free, trying not to take too close a look at the nearly naked woman beside her.

"Hmmph," Sakura murmured as Tomoyo eased her arm free from under her. As Tomoyo slipped from the bed Sakura rolled over, laying on her back as her pretty hair fell around her face.

'She's adorable,' Tomoyo had to admit to herself as she gazed down at the sleeping woman. Resisting the urge to photograph her Tomoyo limped away, her back and muscles still somewhat sore from yesterday. After collecting a set of pajamas Tomoyo dressed then walked into the living room and checked her messages.

*Beep* The warmly amused voice of Yukito came on, "Toya called Sakura's home last night and noticed she hadn't been home. You haven't done anything that will annoy big brother?"

Tomoyo growled in the back of her throat as she deleted the message. Her photographer was getting far too much amusement out of the situation. Of course Toya really was the protective older brother type... and Tomoyo did NOT want to imagine his likely reaction to them sleeping together.

*Beep* Kaho's voice sounded a mix of amused and annoyed as her editor noted, "I've had two reports of a Clow card sighting but nothing from my star reporter. I'd almost wonder if you were slacking, but I know that would be unbelievable from you. Call me."

Tomoyo made a face and dialed her cellphone. "It's Tomoyo," she smiled wryly as she got Kaho's machine, "I got banged up a bit, or else I'd have filed a story yesterday. I'll type it up this morning and send it in."

Sitting on the couch with her laptop Tomoyo ordered her thoughts then began to type, being careful not to indicate who the 'mysterious cloaked' figure fighting the Clow card was. Skirting the truth while providing a eye witness account was getting harder and harder....

"Tomoyo?" Sakura asked sleepily from the doorway, having put on her shirt from yesterday to provide a degree of dignity.

"Hey," Tomoyo looked up with a smile as she sent the report in to the paper. "Sorry if I woke you," she apologized as she got up with a wince of pain.

"You should be in bed," Sakura scolded as she hurried to Tomoyo's side.

"I'm fine," Tomoyo was still a bit wobbly but managed to stand on her own, "I'm just a bit stiff." She lead the way towards the kitchen as she offered, "Do you want some breakfast?"

At the word breakfast Sakura's stomach grumbled loudly. Sakura blushed faintly as she said, "Yes, please."

Chuckling softly Tomoyo opened the fridge as she noted, "Do you have to call in to work?"

"I probably should," Sakura admitted as she borrowed Tomoyo's phone. She called her boss to let him know she'd be late, then called her assistant. "Yue?" she smiled as she leaned up against the counter, "I'm going to be in late. If you need something to do continue sorting through the latest shipment of artifacts by size and region."

"Will do," the young man answered briskly. Yue continued, "When can we expect you in?"

"Probably before lunch," Sakura admitted. "See you later."

"Considering how cowed your boss is, I bet you could take the whole day off," Tomoyo noted as she reheated some leftovers for breakfast.

Sakura shook her head as she said with a shrug, "It wouldn't feel right, I suppose."

"You're too nice for your own good," Tomoyo admitted with a smile as she added, "I'd skip work in your shoes."

"No you wouldn't," Sakura noted as she bemusedly watched Tomoyo making up the leftovers. 'Doesn't she cook much?' she wondered. Aloud she added, "You like your job too much."

Tomoyo dished up the reheated food as she laughed, "I guess so." She sat down at the counter beside Sakura as she apologetically said, "I'm sorry it's not much. I need to go shopping...."

Sakura ate, her expression a bit surprised at how good it was. "I get like that too," she admitted. "In between work and the cards, I feel like I have no time for anything."

Tomoyo winced slightly. She really hadn't thought about how time intensive Sakura's life was, now. Archeology was a job based on slow study and careful work, hours spent in a lab reassembling fragile pieces of pottery and sculpture. Then there were her evenings spent searching for the cards, often fruitlessly driving about half the night with Tomoyo, Yukito and sometimes Mei Lin.

"I wish there was more I could do," Tomoyo admitted quietly as they ate.

"Hmm," Sakura shook her head, "it's all right."

The devilish part of Tomoyo instantly suggested several ways to help Sakura, not the least of which was for her to move in. 'Hush,' she instructed her imagination firmly. Putting her hand over Sakura's she said, "If you do need any help, please ask."

Sakura smiled back warmly, "I will."

Tomoyo blushed faintly as she looked down shyly. "Thank you for taking care of me last night," she said quietly, "I was so banged up, I don't know if I could have made it back."

"You're welcome," Sakura smiled shyly. She looked away as a blush colored her own cheeks, "Rubbing your back like that was kind of fun."

"Oh?" Tomoyo made herself look up to meet Sakura's eyes.

A teasing smile teased Sakura's lips as she added, "Too bad you fell asleep."

Tomoyo blinked, "Ah...." Before either could continue, the phone rang. "Damn it," Tomoyo cursed softly as she picked it up, "Hello?"

"What's this I hear about you're being hurt?" Sonomi demanded.

"Mother?" Tomoyo blinked. "How did you hear...?"

"I was over at Kaho's," Sonomi admitted. "Well?"

"I'm fine, mother," Tomoyo rolled her eyes while Sakura tried to muffle a giggle.

To be continued....


	28. Chapter 28

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Sakura Kinomoto ran along the street, her cloak swirling around her as she tried to keep away from her opponent. It was actually kind of refreshing to be dealing with a plain old monster rather than a Clow Card, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down.

Behind Sakura a cat's hungry yowl split the night, and the cat-women burst around the corner to chase after her. They were tall and slim, around six foot tall or so, and their body's were shaped mostly like attractive women. However they were covered by a layer of catlike fur, colored in solid browns or black, or in patterns like some cats. Their faces were very much like a cat-mask, and the ends of each finger were tipped with razor sharp claws.

Sakura had tried talking to them first, but they had charged her instead, leaving behind the corpse of a police officer. She was too late to save him, but Sakura was determined to make sure they would take no more lives.

'Including mine,' Sakura thought grimly as she ran through the side gate to a deserted sports field. Drawing forth a Clow card she held it a moment, concentrating, then struck it as she called, "Lightning!"

The cat-women had been closing in for the kill when the bolt flared from the card, arching out to strike the leader. The explosion of light seared her to ashes in a second, and the backwash of light and hear stunned the rest.

Seizing the moment Sakura twisted the head of the staff, then with a steely hiss drew out the hidden sword. Using the casing as a improvised club she swept in, attacking with both hands. Blood splashed on the grass as a second cat died, the five others stunned by the sudden visciousness of the attack. Blocking a claw strike with the base of the staff she gutted her opponent, the cat staggering back as she tried to hold her guts in. Another leaped at Sakura's back but she whjeeled around, raising her blade to drive it right through the eye and into the brain. Yanking the blade free she swept it out visciously, severing a third woman's throat.

At their comrade staggered backwards drowning in her own blood, the two remaining cat-women looked at Sakura in awe and horror. The one cat knelt, bowing her head as she pleaded, "Please, mistress of the Clow, spare us!"

Sakura was startled they could talk, much less that they were intelligent. "And how many of your victims begged too?" she asked as she advanced on them.

"We are hunters," the other woman spat defiantly, "it is what we do!"

"And this is what I do," Sakura struck the standing one first, a swift and lethal strike to the heart through the ribs. She turned to the kneeling one, "How do you want me to kill you?"

The cat-woman looked at her with a odd sort of dignity as she rose. "Make it quick and clean," she asked simply.

"I will," Sakura promised and did so, ending the woman's life cleanly.

Returning to her car Sakura felt... oddly relieved that Tomoyo and the others had been called away to a emergency press conference tonight. While killing these creatures had been necessary, it wasn't heroic or noble. It had been pure butchery, not something she wanted Tomoyo to see.

Sliding the sword away into the staff she shrunk it down to necklace size, climbing into her car and sitting back with a sigh. She leaned forward to start the car... when clawed hands closed tightly around her neck!

"URGHL!" Sakura made a choking sound, writhing as she fought against that steel like grip, her hands unable to budge them.

"Saw you hunting my sisters," the cat-woman growled from where she had hid in the back seat, her voice tickling Sakura's ear, "followed you and caught your scent. Pretty little car, easy to force the back door open and nap a bit."

Sakura silently cursed her inattention even as she grabbed the Key of Clow around her neck, willing it to staff size. She blindly jabbed over her shoulder, with what little strength she had, and gasped in air as the woman released one hand to catch the weapon. Sakura twisted free, the claws tearing at her skin then yelped as her back hit the passenger side door.

"Die!" the cat-woman howled, lunging across the seat at her.

Taking the staff in both hands Sakura slammed the pointed 'beak' decoration into the woman's face, sending her reeling into the back seat. Consumed by some kind of battle madness Sakura followed, hammering down the staff on the cat's head, blood splattering the walls. Claw swipes marked her arms and face as Sakura attacked, then a blow from her staff brought a sickening c rack and the cat-woman was still.

Sakura panted softly as she slowly came to her senses in the car, her mind coming out of the bezerker haze. Twinges of pain told her the cat had marked her pretty good, her hands aching from how hard they had clenched around her staff. She was virtually bathed in the creature's blood, and worse the backseat was soaked in it.

Slumping tiredly Sakura leaned against the nearest door, literally too tired to move. "I wonder if grandmother or mother ever had days like this?" she finally sighed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"What did you do then?" Tomoyo Daidouji asked, looking more than a little stunned as the two women finished up breakfast in her apartment. The black haired woman had come home from a emergency news conference to find Sakura outside her door, apparently car-less and battered, wearing a spare set of clothes with no shoes or socks on.

"I stripped out of my bloody clothes. Thank goodness I had brought a spare set in the trunk," Sakura sighed, "then used Firey to torch my clothes, the car and the body."

Most people would have asked why she did that, but a experienced reporter like Tomoyo put it together in moments. "The body had trace evidence of your car on it, and there was no way you could clean your vehicle completely," she realized, "not to mention the creature having bits of your blood and tissue under it's claws."

"Exactly," Sakura agreed.

Sakura unconsciously touched her cheek where fading red marks from claws were, along with ones on her neck and her arms. If she didn't heal faster than a normal person because of the Clow Cards she would have much more vivid looking injuries, and as it was she had decided to call in sick, today. There was no way she could go into work today without her boss or assistant looking at the marks and asking what happened.

"I suppose I'll have to report the car as stolen," Sakura grumbled, "maybe carjacked. Otherwise too many questions will be asked."

"Any chance the police could recover anything from the car?" Tomoyo wondered.

"I was pretty thorough," Sakura said, "by the time I was done, it was a puddle of slag." She sighed softly, "My poor car...."

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you last night," Tomoyo apologized softly, reaching out to gently pat the top of Sakura's hand.

Sakura shrugged slightly. "I'm sort of glad you weren't," she admitted softly, "I don't want to imagine what might have happened if she had attacked you first."

Tomoyo looked like she wanted to argue, but thankfully didn't. "Are you going to be able to get to work all right?" she asked.

Relieved to be talking about something more normal Sakura smiled, "Oh, I'll be all right. I can bus pretty easily from my home to work, after all. I did that as a trainee too." She made a face, "Unless I want to fly I'll need a ride from you or Yukito if I'm going to chase any Clow Cards, though."

"You can count on me," Tomoyo said warmly. She looked off in the distance, tapping her fingers thoughtfully. "I'd love to write a story on the cats, but I better not."

"Because I crashed here?" Sakura asked.

"That and I'd be basing it on what you told me, rather than what I saw," Tomoyo admitted. "I can't exactly use you as a source without revealing who you are...."

"Sorry," Sakura said, shrugging slightly. She knew Tomoyo hated missing a story, but the other woman would be fine. Curiously she asked, "What happened with you last night?"

Tomoyo smirked, "The police, specifically a certain detective I know who owes me a favor, got a warrant to search the Mayor's residence involving certain documents involving the improper awarding of certain contracts."

"From the look on your face they found them," Sakura smiled.

"Right where my source said they were," Tomoyo agreed. "Me, a TV news reporter and our cameramen got it all on tape, while his Honor the Mayor fumed in the background."

Sakura drank some orange juice, sighing happily. "Do you think it will be enough to bring him down?" she wondered.

"That, I don't know," Tomoyo answered, sounding a bit frustrated. "The stuff I've turned up already should have lead to his own allies ousting him, but he's holding on."

"Don't worry," this time Sakura patted Tomoyo's arm comfortingly as she said, "I'm sure you'll get him eventually." That stirring moment was interrupted by her stomach, which picked just that moment to gurgle loudly.

"Hungry again?" Tomoyo asked, faintly surprised. She knew that Sakura had a appetite, but it usually wasn't this bad.

"I think it's because of the fast healing," Sakura blushed as she explained, "it really burns through the calories."

"Makes sense," Tomoyo conceded as she got up from the table and walked to her kitchen. "How about I make you a early lunch?"

"You don't have to...," Sakura started to protest.

Tomoyo waved that off, "I know, but I want to." As she started getting items out of the fridge she added impishly, "You can always pay me back later."

Normally Sakura would have ignored that or made a joke, but her close call last night was far too recent. "Well, neither of us are going out today...," she purred suggestively.

Tomoyo nearly dropped the eggs, recovering at the last minute. "Who are you," she joked, "and what have you done with the real Sakura?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Sonomi Daidouji sat in her office, studying the report in front of her. It wasn't as complete as she would have liked, her agents were limited in how close they could get to Sakura, but what she read was disturbing. The young woman had nearly been killed last night, probably would have been killed if not for her fast reflexes and a bit of luck.

'I need to send Tomoyo some samples of the light weight armor cloth were developing,' Sonomi thought grimly as she picked up another sheet.

The police report on Sakura's car had also been forwarded by certain individuals who owed her favors on the police force. The fire that had destroyed the car had virtually vaporized any trace evidence, so much so the detective involved thought the car had been stolen for a yakuza hit. Her people would keep monitoring the case, but so far Sakura was merely considered the victim of the theft of her car.

Sonomi made a note for her staff that if Sakura had any trouble with insurance or obtaining another car, steps would need to be taken. Sakura was family, even if they had different last names, and you took care of family.

'I also need to determine if there's anything more direct we can do to help,' Sonomi mused, turning in her chair to look out the window.

Police's early encounters with the monsters had shown that most kinds of conventional weapons were useless. Bullets barely fazed the variety of creatures encountered, only brute force applications of power like ramming it with a car had even slowed one down. Edged weapons were some use, as a housewife had demonstrated when she chopped a attacking kobold apart with a meat cleaver, but the odds were good she couldn't convince the police to give up guns for swords.

'It seems we're stuck depending on Sakura and her magic sword,' Sonomi thought grimly, then her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. 'If there's one magical sword,' she mused, 'why can't there be more?'

With new determination Sonomi picked up the phone, connecting to her secretary. "Get me the head of the archeology department at Tokyo University," she ordered, "and make it fast."

To be continued....


	29. Chapter 29

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Yue Susanoo eye's widened slightly as he took in his boss. Even without the now fading bruises he would have known she had been hurt from the psychic traces. Surprisingly part of him wanted to find the monster that had hurt her and deal with it, even though he knew Sakura had probably killed it herself already.

'It seems I'm becoming more attached to her than I planned,' Yue admitted to himself. "Are you all right, Sakura?" he asked her gently.

"I'm fine," Sakura smiled, the faded bruises around her throat looking weeks old, not days.

"I rather doubt that," Yue said gently, "but I won't press." Briskly he offered, "Did you want to get back to work?"

"Please!" Sakura smiled as they went back through the museum to the small workroom.

The work in a museum was often dull and repetitive, yet Yue found it oddly fascinating. What had begun for him as a means to monitor Sakura had become a enjoyable occupation, one in which he learned new things everyday.

The back room was full of items to clean and study, each protected from the elements in different ways. Crates were set up along the walls with uncatalogued items, while other artifacts were sent via secured shipping to be examined. It was a busy yet efficiently organized place, much like Sakura's own lifestyle.

"All right," Sakura said briskly, "what's on today's agenda?"

"We heard back from the consults on the Clow tablet we were studying," Yue said calmly, "the general consensus is that it's legitimate." He added wryly, "Bearing in mind they were just studying pictures of course."

"Of course," Sakura chuckled. She smiled at Yue, "Always keep in mind that archeologists will always cover their asses in this situation. The only way I'd get a unabashed yes would have been if I flew each expert here in person."

"Have you ever been flown in for a consultation?" Yue asked curiously.

"Once or twice," Sakura admitted. "I went to New York to study one artifact, and London another time. It's pretty rare though."

"I see," Yue nodded.

"We need to clean and photograph several more items," Sakura mused as she took off her jacket and pulled on a protective overcoat over her casual clothes, "and we need to prepare the tablet for display. That'll take a few hours, so we'll do it after the cleaning."

"I'll look forward to helping you with it," Yue said respectfully.

"Good," Sakura pulled on a set of rubber gloves with a snap as she said, "let's get to work."

Lunch arrived in the form of Caroline, Yue's friend. Her brassy blond hair and cheerful manner were a nice counterpoint to Yue's own serious manner. At times Yue wondered if Clow had created them that way deliberately, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

"Hey, Sakura!" Kero waved, "How's working with grumpy here?"

Sakura laughed, "He's not that bad."

"Yes," Yue said dryly as he took the several food packages from Kero, "I only really have to be grumpy around you."

"Hey!" Kero protested.

Sakura chuckled warmly. "Thanks for picking up our lunch," she told her, "want to join us?"

"I'd love to," Kero grinned.

Sitting around the break room they got out paper plates and split up the food, digging in eagerly. As they ate they talked, mostly about books or TV shows Kero had seen. Sakura rarely got out to see such things because of her busy schedule, and Yue wasn't as interested.

"Did either of you hear the stories about the clock tower?" Kero asked at one point.

"No, what?" Sakura asked innocently.

"There seems to be odd things happening around it," Kero said eagerly, "at least according to the rumors I've heard. People get unnerved around it, and no one can walk the stairs all the way up."

Sakura leaned forward intently, "Really?"

Yue watched them, for once wishing Sakura wasn't quite so innocent. He could easily tell Kero was leading the woman into investigating the tower, but he suspected Sakura was quite unaware. It was almost sad manipulating someone so innocent.

"You don't think it's something dangerous?" Yue asked Kero thoughtfully.

"I've heard that some people have vanished too," Kero admitted.

'And that was the final hook,' Yue thought as Sakura's eyes narrowed intently. The woman seemed completely unable to ignore people in trouble, and hearing that people were disappearing would be sure to get her involved.

"I see," Sakura bit her lip, deep in thought even as Kero shoveled food away.

Yue felt the need caution her, "You aren't going to do anything rash, are you? You aren't fully recovered from whatever happened to you, Sakura."

Sakura neatly reached up to the now fading bruises, but stopped herself. "I won't do anything too foolish," she promised.

Silently Yue resolved to be near the Tower the next few nights, in his transformed form 'And I'll bring Keroberos with me too,' he decided. They may not be able to do much, but he was determined to do what he could for the young lady.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Tomoyo Daidouji smiled at Sakura as the two women met at a small restaurant not far from the museum. The black haired woman frowned curiously as she repeated, "The old clock tower?"

"Yes," Sakura said as she leaned close, smiling. The woman added, "I got a tip there might be something interesting there."

"I can do some digging at the paper," Tomoyo offered, "though I don't remember anything off the top of my head."

"I'd like that, please," Sakura said.

"When are you going to check it out?' Tomoyo asked thoughtfully.

"Not until tomorrow at least," Sakura admitted, shaking her head. "I'm still too sore from last time I went out..."

"Are you feeling better?" Tomoyo asked gently.

"Just stiff," Sakura smiled back. She sighed ruefully, "I shouldn't have let myself be surprised like that..."

"Uhm," Tomoyo looked sheepish, "I told my mother about it."

"Is that good or bad?" Sakura had to ask.

"Good, pretty much," Tomoyo smiled, "she sent me a new type of armored cloth, I'm going to use it to make your next uniform with."

"Really?" Sakura asked, surprised. "What's it like?"

"I did some experimenting with it, it's fairly comfortable," Tomoyo told her, "I even made the skirt I'm wearing out of it."

Sakura looked at the knee length navy blue skirt thoughtfully, "Can I touch it?"

Tomoyo gulped, feeling a slight blush color her cheeks. "Sure, go ahead," she offered warmly.

Sakura reached out to stroke the fabric, not incidentally touching Tomoyo's legs. She rubbed the cloth between her fingers as she mused, "It doesn't even feel any thicker."

Tomoyo shivered faintly at Sakura's touch, blushing again. "It's a kind of space aged material," she said, "I don't entirely understand how it's made myself."

"I appreciate the help," Sakura smiled. She looked a bit sheepish, "Could I ask you or Yukito for a ride tomorrow night?"

"No problem," Tomoyo smiled warmly, covering Sakura's hand with her own.

They ate their dinners then walked out to the parking lot, talking quietly. The light of sunset gave Sakura a almost supernatural glow, reminding Tomoyo of some kind of ancient goddess.

"Sakura," Tomoyo smiled as they reached her car, "would you like to stop by my house? I have a costume I'd like you to try on."

"I'd like that," Sakura beamed. Before they got in the car Sakura carefully peered inside, frowning slightly.

'That close call is going to stay with her,' Tomoyo mused as they climbed in. "I should be more careful too," she noted aloud.

"I don't think you're in too much danger," Sakura admitted, "but I'd feel better if you were on guard too. Just in case."

"Hmm," Tomoyo agreed as she pulled out of the parking lot. "How do the monsters hold up against electricity?" she asked curiously.

"They don't like it," Sakura looked at her curiously, "why?"

Tomoyo smiled slightly, "Because my mother makes a kind of 'shock baton' for security services. It's a policeman's club with a built in taser function, triggering on impact."

"That sounds pretty impressive," Sakura admitted.

"I'll talk to her about it tomorrow," Tomoyo resolved, "maybe she can get one sent to me by courier," She looked at Sakura, "I'd like to be able to help you more, if you'll let me."

"You help me a lot already," Sakura smiled, taking her hand as they pulled into the parking lot of Tomoyo's building.

Tomoyo squeezed her fingers back, only letting go reluctantly. She parked the car and they went inside, Sakura nodding a sheepish greeting to one of Tomoyo's neighbors. "What's that about?" Tomoyo murmured softly.

"She's the one who let me in your building last time," Sakura admitted,

"I'll have to thank her then," Tomoyo grinned as she let them into her apartment. She showed Sakura the new costume, then poured each of them a mild drink.

"Tomoyo, could I ask another favor?" Sakura asked softly. "I'm still nervous after last night... could I stay here?"

"Of course you can," Tomoyo told her gently, "Stay however long you like."

To be continued...


	30. Chapter 30

Sakura: Knight of The Clow

Chapter Thirty

Tomoyo Daidouji was very pretty when she slept, Sakura Kinomoto decided as they lay together on the big bed. Her usual serious expression was wiped away by sleep, leaving a softer, more innocent look to her. She could easily imagine Tomoyo being a model or fashion designer, not the ace reporter she had become.

The cuts that Sakura had suffered at the hands of the catwomen had finally faded last night, the bruises too. However Sakura was sore for another reason, Tomoyo having finally convinced her that her affections were more than friendly.

Sakura felt herself blush, and a beaming smile tugged at her lips. She wasn't as experienced as most women her age, though it wasn't for lack of opportunity. As a attractive female archeologist she got hit on at conferences, and had been chased after even in school. But somehow she just couldn't be bothered, and Sakura had never understood why.

'Well, I guess I know why now,' Sakura thought, tenderly pushing Tomoyo's hair away from her sleeping face.

The first kiss had been nervous, the two of them sitting on the couch together. Tomoyo gave her a chance to draw away, but instead Sakura had reached out, pulling her closer and kissing her back lingeringly. They had stayed out on the couch awhile, necking, then taking Tomoyo's hand Sakura had led her into the bedroom.

Sakura found herself blushing furiously at the memories. She wasn't normally so bold outside of her heroing, but somehow it had just seemed right. The two of them had ended up... well, they weren't done for HOURS.

"Hmm," Tomoyo shifted in bed, then her eyes opened. Her smile was warm and tender as she pushed herself up, "Do you feel as good as I do?"

"Probably," Sakura blushed.

Tomoyo chuckled warmly, kissing Sakura gently but lingeringly. "I really enjoyed last night," she said quietly.

Sakura blushed furiously even as she murmured, "I haven't... uhm... done this sort of thing very often. I was alright, then?"

"You were more than that," Tomoyo reassured her, reaching up and caressing her cheek. Quietly she added, "I love you."

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat, the surge of joy rising up within her. She turned and kissed Tomoyo again, drawing back to sigh, "Me, too." She blushed, laughing, "I wish I had something more poetic to say..."

"Hey, I'm the writer and my mind's blank," Tomoyo joked gently. She smiled at Sakura fondly, "Are you okay with this?"

Sakura automatically wanted to claim she was fine, but honestly she was a bit shaken. For most of her life she had thought she was just not a romantic person, when it seemed the truth was she had been waiting for the right girl to come along. "I will be," she promised.

"Fair enough," Tomoyo agreed, reaching out and squeezing Sakura's hand in her's. They lay there a moment, both comforted by the other's presence, then Tomoyo sighed. "We have to get up eventually," she pouted.

Sakura sighed, knowing the other woman was right. They got up together, Sakura faintly surprised by how her gaze wanted to linger across Tomoyo's nude body. A surge of hunger made her blush, remembering kissing those breasts hungrily, then...

"Sakura?" Tomoyo gave her a questioning look.

Sakura blushed furiously, "Sorry, got distracted."

Tomoyo's slow smile was impish and very knowing. "Me too," she agreed, but picked up their discarded clothing with a sigh.

Sakura picked up her own clothes, wrinkling her nose at the slightly clammy feel. "Do you have something I could borrow?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course," Tomoyo smiled, "in fact I finished working up a top and skirt made up of that armor cloth mother sent me."

"Thank you," Sakura beamed as Tomoyo brought the clothes and fresh underwear out, Sakura slipping into them gracefully. The new cloth was both soft and comfortable, and Sakura was oddly comforted knowing how damage resistant it was. Not that she wanted to test that out, mind you, but it was still a comfort.

"Come on," Tomoyo said, having dressed herself in a stylish skirt and blouse combo, "let's get some breakfast."

The two women went into the kitchen together, and cooperated on making breakfast. It was actually rather fun, both of them deliberately bumping hips or touching hands as they scrambled eggs and made up several pieces of toast.

"What do you have to do today?" Sakura asked curiously. She was rather glumly considering her own busy workload, including stopping in at the museum and her planned trip out to the clock tower later tonight. A large part of her wanted to ignore her responsibilities and stay in to cuddle Tomoyo, even though she knew it was selfish.

"I have to go to the Mayor's press conference," Tomoyo pouted, "especially considering my story helped bust him. I also need to work on a features article I promised to do and the first 'monsters of Tokyo' article."

"Monsters of Tokyo?" Sakura asked, munching on her scrambled eggs.

"I did some digging based on your adventures," Tomoyo nodded respectfully, "it turns out there's been stuff turning up for years. The police even have a special department for it."

"I hope they don't get hurt," Sakura frowned, knowing how hard it was to fight the monsters and how poorly normal weapons did.

"You can read my story if you want," Tomoyo offered warmly, "notes too." She looked thoughtful, "Maybe some of what they told me might lead to a Clow Card..."

Sakura leaned forward eagerly, "Thank you."

The chime of the intercom made them both jump, and Tomoyo cursed softly. "I wonder who could have such bad timing," she grumbled, stomping over to the unit mounted by her door.

Sakura watched her stalk off, once again fascinated by how gracefully she moved. Tomoyo had a unconscious grace that Sakura occasionally envied, coupled with a great degree of poise. In the middle of any crisis or emergency she seemed calm and composed, even though others might be near panicking.

However that calm, grace and poise seemed to have deserted her as Tomoyo listened to whomever it was outside. "Are you all right?" Sakura asked, worriedly.

Tomoyo looked at Sakura with a faintly pained look, "My mother is here."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Sonomi Daidouji waited outside the apartment building, wondering if visiting her daughter like this was such a good idea. Her lover Kaho was constantly urging her to try to bridge the gap between her and her daughter, and admittedly Tomoyo had made several steps towards doing that. But still, Sonomi wasn't sure about just dropping in like this.

"I have some company," Tomoyo's voice came over the intercom, "but come on up. I'll buzz you inside."

Sonomi raised her eyebrows slightly as she turned to her bodyguards, wondering who Tomoyo might have over so early. 'Or is it someone who stayed overnight?' she mused. Aloud she said, "I shouldn't be gone too long. Have a team keep an eye on the building while you wait here."

The boyish woman in a suit tipped her formal cap, "Understood, ma'am. Should we have the helicopter ready for a fast extraction?"

Sonomi smiled wryly, touched once again by the concern of her security staff. "Have it available, just in case," she suggested, then headed into the building.

"Yes, ma'am," the woman saluted, then climbed into the car to wait.

As Sonomi headed upstairs, she found herself hoping it was Sakura who was with her daughter. 'They would go together very well,' she mused, even as she conceded it would also be like a continuation of her own issues.

Tomoyo answered the door promptly, and peering past her Sonomi was pleased to see Sakura there too. "Sorry to intrude," Sonomi said mildly.

Giving her mother a odd look Tomoyo answered, "It's fine, come on in."

"Good morning, Sakura," Sonomi said, fighting back a smile at the girl's slightly mussed hair.

A blush cutely colored the girl's cheeks as she bravely answered, "Morning."

Tomoyo gave her mother a distinctly annoyed look, and Sonomi felt a touch sheepish. "What can I do for you today, mother?" Tomoyo asked flatly, gesturing for the woman to take a seat at the table with her and Sakura.

"Actually," Sonomi reached into the bag beside her and passed a box in it over to Tomoyo as she said, "I have a present for you."

Tomoyo opened it as Sakura looked on curiously, the younger woman nodding thoughtfully as she pulled out the long, rounded black baton. "Is this the...?" she started.

"It's one of the shock baton prototypes we're developing," Sonomi told her daughter proudly. She pointed out the recessed button just above the grip, "It's quite simple to operate too. Just press here to start charging the baton, releasing the button before you actually hit something. This colored bar here shows how strong the charge is."

"Not bad," Tomoyo conceded, handling the weapon carefully. "And if it's charged and I decide not to hit anyone with it?" she asked.

"Press the baton to the ground and release the button, it grounds out," Sonomi answered promptly. She watched Tomoyo swing the weapon around proudly, glad that the self defense classes she made the girl attend were paying off.

"Nice," Tomoyo nodded.

Sonomi looked over at Sakura, taking in the girl's fading bruises and cuts. "I'm glad to see you've mostly recovered," she noted.

"I'm nearly back to normal," Sakura lied cheerfully.

Sonomi felt a pang, remembering how her cousin Nadesico had done the same thing, bravely smiling even when she was hurt. "Don't push yourself so hard," she cautioned gently, "it will do no one any good if you're hurt again."

Sakura blushed faintly, "Sorry."

Tomoyo looked like she wanted to jump in, but visibly restrained herself. Instead she said, "Thank you for the new gear, mother. I'll try to use it well."

"I'm sure you will," Sonomi agreed, smiling. She got up, smiling at both of them as she said, "Now, I'm sorry to say I have to go. A corporate empire waits for no one."

"Thank you for coming by," Sakura smiled.

"She's right, thank you," Tomoyo said as she walked her mother to the door. Quietly she added, "I'll call later."

"I'll be at my office till late," Sonomi agreed even as she wondered what Tomoyo wanted to talk about, "call there."

"Will do," Tomoyo nodded as Sonomi left.

To be continued...


	31. Chapter 31

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Thirty-One

It was supposed to just be a simple scouting mission. Sakura Kinomoto was mostly recovered from her injuries, and the brown haired woman had decided to take a walk that evening through the neighborhood around the clock tower. Both her and Tomoyo's investigations had come up with some very odd rumors about the place, but nothing terribly concrete.

The stories tended to agree on a few things: there was supernatural activity around the tower, it appeared to be cyclical, and it peaked every month on the full moon. Why, no one seemed to know, and what was inside the tower causing all this was a complete mystery.

"I'm still annoyed you didn't call me in after you were hurt," Mei-Lin growled, the black haired young woman walking beside her. She, Sakura and Tomoyo were all dressed in the new combat wear that Tomoyo was making, and Mei-Lin found herself rather amused by the designs.

"Sorry, I did try to phone you," Sakura said mildly as they walked together, her long frilly skirt and bow laden shirt shimmering in the moonlight.

"I should have tried harder to get you at work," Tomoyo admitted a bit reluctantly, her tuxedo like suit clinging yet also comfortable. She and Mei-Lin exchanged a look, one complicated with meaning.

Mei-Lin had developed a interest in Sakura, along with Tomoyo. They had jousted against each other covertly, without Sakura's knowledge, and in the end Sakura had chosen Tomoyo. They were friends, sort of, but that rivalry still left a strain on their relationship.

"It's fine," Mei-Lin waved it off as they circled the forested area around the old watch tower, her much more plain uniform blending into the shadows. The building wasn't abandoned, supposedly, but the grounds were overgrown and the few paths in were badly maintained. "This isn't that far from city center," she noted as they clambered over roots, "why isn't this being developed?"

"Good question," Sakura admitted.

Tomoyo nodded, "I did some digging into it earlier this week." They climbed over a rotted out log, "Despite being so near city center, no one seems to have had any luck developing the land. Strange things happen, or accidents, and somehow the projects never get off the ground."

Sakura's pendant swung around her neck, the Key of Clow warm and comforting. "Wouldn't that get noticed?" she asked curiously.

"You'd think so," Tomoyo said as they finished circling the old building, "but no foul play was discovered. As far as anyone can tell, it's just bad luck."

"Huh," Mei-Lin nodded thoughtfully. She looked over at Sakura, "Picking anything up?"

"There's something here," Sakura nodded as she stood in the light of the crescent moon, "but it's... sleeping, for lack of a better word."

"You think the full moon stories are right?" Tomoyo asked curiously.

"On the full moon or very close," Sakura said, "I can't be sure."

"So you two will be doing more late night strolling?" Mei-Lin had to suggest, and fought back a grin as both Tomoyo and Sakura blushed.

"It's not...," Sakura stammered.

As they walked back towards Tomoyo's waiting car, all three women paused as they felt something pass by. Tomoyo reached into her jacket and pulled out her stun baton, the three looking around them warily.

"Well, well, well, three little kittens out in the night," the figure noted as he came out of the trees, his shirt ripped to reveal his heavy muscles. He was a ugly man, with a face misshapen by fighting, and a scar ran down one cheek.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Mei-Lin murmured as other men emerged from the shadows, all similar looking.

"They're not normal," Sakura murmured softly, clutching the key as she studied the encroaching group of men.

"Neither are we," Tomoyo murmured, flashing a smile.

The gang of men seemed confused that the three young women weren't either squealing with fear or trying to run away. "Give us all your money and stuff," one muscled man growled, "an' we might go easy on you."

"Might," the first scarred man smiled evilly.

"That's it," Sakura decided, with a gesture expanding her key into it's staff mode, light blazing all along it.

The men flinched backwards, the leader shielding his eyes as he yelped, "Shit!"

"If you run away right now," Sakura echoed them deliberately, "we might go easy on you."

Mei-Lin took up a fighting stance even as Tomoyo thumbed on the charger for her stun baton. "Might," Tomoyo offered, grinning.

"Get 'em!" a man with arms like a gorilla yelped, clearly not taking well to being mocked.

"Hyaa!" Mei-Lin leaped, kicking a man across the face, sending him staggering backwards as his buddies froze a moment, surprised.

With smooth agility Tomoyo dodged one man's attempt to grab her as she smashed him in the gut with her new baton. With a loud buzz the device discharged the stored electricity, making the man jerk before falling stunned to the ground.

The goons hesitated, two of their eight men already dropped in a matter of seconds. Then Sakura moved, sweeping another man's legs out from under him then clubbing him unconscious with the thankfully blunt side of her staff.

Sakura stood up straight, the men visibly cowering from her as she said, "Surrender, now, and we'll just hand you over to the cops."

"I am not going to jail!" a smaller goon yelled, pulling a knife and lunging forward.

Mei-Lin blocked the strike on her fore arm, then snap-kicked him in the leg, hampering him. As he staggered backward she slapped the gun away with one hand as she punched him in the nose with the other. The remaining four men exchanged looks then bolted, fleeing across the dark shadows left by the trees.

"That was easier than I expected," Tomoyo noted.

Sakura clutched her staff harder, "It's not over yet."

That's when they heard the odd crackling sound, like paws running over twigs and grass. The first rat that appeared looked cute, presuming you liked rats, with a twitching nose, cute whiskers and eerily glowing eyes. The second rat was much less cute, and the twenty that scurried up after it weren't cute at all!

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Mei-Lin groaned as the rats gathered, staring at them with unearthly eyes.

"Clow card?" Tomoyo asked, thumbing the switch to power up her baton as even more rats appeared, coming up out of the ground itself now.

"Doesn't feel right," Sakura commented as she took out a Clow Card, the trusty Windy.

"They seem to be just watching," Tomoyo noted. She cleared her throat and called, "Uhm, hello? We mean you no harm!"

"Speak for yourself," Mei-Lin muttered.

There was a rustling and chittering sound, then the lead rat looked at them with it's eerie, glowing eyes. "Hey, how ya doin'?" it asked conversationally.

"What the...?" Sakura blinked.

"What?" he asked conversationally, "You ain't never heard a rat before?"

"Well, no," Tomoyo said, wishing she had a video camera around to document this. 'Where is Yukito when I need him?' she thought.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Oh Yoya!" he cried!

"Oh Yukito!" he replied.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

'Never mind,' Tomoyo shook her head, 'I don't wanna know.' Clearing her throat she asked, "I've never heard of animals talking like this. Do you know why...?"

"Ever hear of NIMH?" another rat asked.

Mei-Lin gave it a look, "Now you're just pulling my leg."

"I'd love to pull on your leg honey!" one rat called, "Nice gams!"

"Shut up!" Mei-Lin whacked the rat casually.

As she did several rats chuckled and one commented, "Nice to see someone remembers the classics." Most of the watching rats had scattered as the big rat noted, "There's something in the tower here. The longer we stay near it, the more it changes us."

"Sakura?" Tomoyo looked at her curiously.

"It's not anything I'm familiar with," Sakura admitted, making a face as she still clutched a Clow card, just in case. She looked at the rats, a visceral, instinctive urge to scream and run away churning in her guts.

"Too bad, we were hoping to bottle and sell it like a tonic," another rat noted dryly. He peered at Sakura, "You okay, missy?"

"I'm fine," Sakura squeaked.

The rat made a humph noise then looked at Tomoyo. "You'd better get her outta here before she faints," he advised dryly.

"He's right, we should go," Mei-Lin agreeded promptly. She bowed slightly to the rats, "Thank you for talking to us."

"No prob' " the rat waved that off casually. "We hang around here pretty much every day, so maybe we'll see yas again," he added.

"Thank you," Tomoyo agreed as the women left the brush and followed the path down to where the car was parked.

"That was decidedly weird," Sakura sighed, finally relaxing a bit as they reached the sports car.

"I didn't think rats and mice would bother you," Mei-Lin teased, even though her hand on Sakura's arm was gentle.

"Hey, I'm still a normal girl in a lot of ways!" Sakura protested, blushing.

Tomoyo had to laugh, smiling at the two of them. "Yeah, I guess so," she agreed, "it's just funny seeing you so fearless against muggers and beasts, and frightened of rats."

"Monsters are one things, rats are another," Mei-Lin offered as they all climbed in.

"Exactly," Sakura agreed. She sighed as she asked, "Uhm, if I patrol out here again, can you both come with me?"

Tomoyo patted her arm, "I will."

"Sure," Mei-Lin agreed. She looked at Tomoyo and asked, "Going to mention the talking rats in the paper?"

Tomoyo threw her hands in the air, "Who would believe me!"

To be continued...

Note: This was originally going to be a more dramatic chapter... then the idea of the Rats TALKING hit me. lol Sorry, I just couldn't help myself. Anyway. hope you liked it!


	32. Chapter 32

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Talking rats?" Kaho Mitsuki blinked, then the older woman broke out in laughter. Shaking her head she muttered, "Please tell me you're not going to do a story on it."

"Who'd believe me?" Tomoyo countered, shaking her own head. The young lady took her coffee and drank a bit before asking, "Have you heard anything from the Mayor's office about what's going to happen next?"

"Nothing yet, thought there is supposed to be a announcement today," Kaho said a bit smugly.

Both woman exchanged satisfied glances. The paper had been carefully following a trail of graft and corruption in city politcs, and had made several scoops on the subject. Improper awarding of contracts, kickbacks to friends and so on. But they hadn't been able to trace the corruption to the top, despite everyone being sure the Mayor was dirty. Finally, a contact in the Mayor's office tipped Tomoyo on the proof, and in a police raid they grabbed the evidence.

"My contact in the DA's department say that charges are finally going to be filed," Tomoyo said with a smile, "he may finally be going down."

"He might still pull a rabbit out of the hat," Kaho cautioned her. She checked the time and nodded briskly as she put the TV on, "News conference should be starting now."

Yamazaki stalked towards the podium, the dark haired young man quite handsome in his suit. He nodded to some of the reporters he knew, then faced the cameras. "There will be no questions, just a prepared statement."

There was a rumble of disappointment from the reporters. In the office Tomoyo shrugged, "Well, that wasn't unexpected."

"First of all, the accounts of corruption from my office are entirely false," Yamazaki said firmly, "and are in fact the product of a vendetta on the part of the Times."

"Say WHAT?" Kaho blurted.

"I am entirely innocent of these trumped up charges," Yamazaki continued, "and I am confident I will be found innocent. I merely put my faith in individuals who were less than honest, and I feel that is entirely understandable."

"He's trying to spin this till the end," Tomoyo shook her head ruefully.

"Reluctantly, I feel I must step down while these charges are dealt with," Yamazaki finished, "I will appoint my deputy to carry out my duties while the investigation continues." He adjusted his tie then sighed, "That's all."

"Mr Mayor! Mr Mayor!" reporters cried trying to get his attention, but he ignored them as he left the press gallery and was gone.

"Who do we have covering the conference?" Tomoyo asked, frowning to herself slightly.

Kaho looked at her thoughtfully, "I had Eriol, the new kid, go down since we expected it to just be a statement. Why?"

"I have a bad feeling about this, is all," Tomoyo admitted, "Can Rika do some digging and see where his money's gone? I think he might bolt."

Kaho picked up the phone without really thinking about it, calling Rika even as she asked Tomoyo, "You think he's that desperate?"

"He's managed to lie his way out of everything," Tomoyo shrugged, "but he can lie or maneuver his way out of this. So what else can he do?"

"Pay the piper?" Kaho asked wryly, then ordered Rika to dig into the Mayor's finances and recent activities.

"Do you really think Yamazaki would do that, though?" Tomoyo asked pointedly.

"Heh, true," Kaho admitted, nodding. "You get out of here and do some digging too," she ordered, "maybe something else will turn up."

"Yes, ma'am," Tomoyo agreed, hurrying out.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"So he really bolted?" Sakura asked, surprised as she and Tomoyo shared a dinner at Tomoyo's apartment. She had been spending more and more time here since they started seriously dating, and she was seriously wondering about moving in.

Tomoyo nodded, chewing on her food and swallowing. "He apparently had a private plane charted and everything," she said, sounding disgusted. "Caught the police completely flat footed too," she growled.

Sakura chuckled softly, "So all your hard work went to waste?"

"Well, it's not THAT bad," Tomoyo smiled back wryly, "he's on the run, and there's no way he can come back to Japan. All that is due to the Times."

"And you," Sakura said with a proud smile. She got up, heading to the counter as she said, "Do you want seconds?"

"I'll wait until desert, thanks," Tomoyo shook her head as she asked teasingly, "Where do you put it all away?"

"Fast metabolism," Sakura smiled. She shrugged as she added, "And I think some of it goes into magic, too. I wish I had a expert to ask about it..."

"Healing too, I think," Tomoyo pointed out, "I noticed your scratches and bruises from the cat-woman were all gone."

"Thank goodness for the quick healing," Sakura winked, "the scratches you put on my back healed up nicely too."

Tomoyo went beet red. "I didn't...?"

Sakura just smiled. "Anyway, do you want to go out on patrol with me tonight?" she asked, "And is Yukito and Mei Lin coming along?"

'I can call Yukito pretty easily," Tomoyo said as she got up, stretching, "but Mei Lin's helping put together our story on Yamazaki for tomorrow's paper."

Sakura was quickly polishing off her seconds, but between chews she asked, "Don't you need to help with that too?"

"Not really," Tomoyo shook her head, "it's mostly a retrospective of our investigation, plus the new information that he fled the country."

"I almost feel sorry for him," Sakura admitted. Briskly she added, "Well, let's get ready."

Tomoyo brightened, "Yeah, I have a new costume for you to try out."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The night wind blew as Takashi Yamazaki made his way through the shadows, his black hair and dark clothes helping hide him. Despite news reports he had not fled the country to some tax haven, but he had deliberately planted evidence to convince his enemies otherwise.

As Yamazaki walked, he pondered his situation. He had never thought of himself as a bad man, he had merely followed in the example of people he respected. Was it his fault that most of his mentors in city government had been corrupt? Of course it wasn't! He had learned that graft was fine, that putting your friends in positions of power was a wise move and that you should pad your savings accounts for a rainy day.

'Then she came along,' Yamazaki thought darkly as he skirted the pools of light, making his way from the safehouse to his destination.

Tomoyo Daidouji SHOULD have been his natural ally. From a rich, successful family she was a daughter of privlage, she understood how you had to scratch another's back to get things done. When one of his people reported that Tomoyo was sniffing around, he had merely assumed she was looking for a bribe.

Instead, Tomoyo had ruined his public works scam! The hiring of friends to do fake 'jobs' in exchange for contributions, the bribery of city officials to look the other way... hell, she even forced the resignation of his cousin from his cushy job. Yamazaki just couldn't believe it. It was insane!

'Doesn't she understand how the world works?' Yamazaki thought, furious once again.

And even worse, Tomoyo just refused to stop digging! Yamazaki thought he had hidden other sweetheart deals with friends and supporters, but somehow she found them! Again and again she published damning stories, and it seemed she was unstoppable. In a last ditch bid to keep at least some of the information private Yamazaki had hidden the contracts in his home... and she had the police turn on him! Searching his home!

Yamazaki had never been so humiliated as standing there, watching the police cut open his safe. And Tomoyo was there to watch, that damn smug smile on her face. 'Evidence of a crime' HA! It was all harassment, he knew. She had turned everyone against him, in the end.

He stumbled over a section of curb, and Yamazaki cursed softly. Recovering his balance he looked up, then stopped as he realized he was nearly at his destination. The woods were oddly close to city center, yet the land here had never been developed. There was a reason for that, and tonight Yamazaki was going to find it.

The ground was rough and uneven as he made his way down the rough trails surrounding the old clock tower, but strangely nothing troubled Yamazaki. The woods were eerily quiet as he walked, only the occassional snapping of twigs heard in the night. The moonlight lit his way well enough, even thought it wasn't quite the full moon yet.

Finally after much effort he had reached the base of the old wooden tower. There was a eerie chill to the air, as if from fall, yet the plants all seemed unaffected. Shrugging off the sensation Yamazaki pulled at the old wooden boards covering the entrance, casually flinging them aside. He hesitated before the darkened opening, then made himself go forward.

It was nearly pitch dark as Yamazaki moved forward, but his eyes quickly adjusted to the dark. Wait, no, there was a light! Coming from up in the tower there was a golden glow, shining down. Hurriedly he looked around, eventually finding a old ladder going up into the tower.

'Where are the cobwebs?' Yamazaki wondered as he swiftly climbed. There should be bugs or insects around, yet there were no cobwebs or other signs. In fact the place was quite clean, with little dust or dirt.

The golden light seemed to pull at Yamazaki, making all his questions fade as he climbed. He no longer remembered where he'd heard about this mystery, in fact he was beginning to think whatever was here had simply planted it in his mind. Whatever was glowing there wanted out, and it had chosen him to bear it.

Some part of Yamazaki's mind was fighting now, whimpering as it fought but the body climbed up until it reached the room just below the bell. There a cloak and staff... floated above the floor, shining with a light he now found frightening. No matter how much he screamed and begged in his mind Yamazaki couldn't stop the body from walking forward.

First, the cloak flowed over Yamazaki's shoulders and instantly whatever was left of his mind went silent. His clothes bleached themselves white in a moment, while the cloak became a beautiful overcoat. The staff was picked up and hefted confidently, even as a new mind and spirit took residence within the body.

"Well," the man smiled as he mused, "it seems things are quite a mess, now. But Clow Reed will put it right."

To be continued...


	33. Chapter 33

Sakura: Knight of the Clow

Chapter Thirty Three

Clow Reed inhabited a new body, and his spirit found it easy to rummage through his new host's mind. It look little effort to master English, nor was it hard to update himself on this world he was in. A few things bemused him, to varying degrees, but he liked puzzles so he would work it out,

Why were his cards in Japan, for instance? Clow had forged them in China and Hong Kong, and there was no reason for them to migrate to this place. His cloak and staff, also, should have stayed in Hong Kong, where one of his bloodline would take it up.

It was all quite intriguing.

Yue and Kereberos were also quite fascinating to watch. He had created the lion and angel servants for a certain role, as guides and mentors to the mages that came after him, as well as to watch over the Clow Cards. Yet somehow they had evolved beyond that role, developing the will to take action on their own.

Clow wasn't sure he approved of that, honestly. But it was fascinating none the less!

The city museum was bustling with people as Clow walked through the displays, a simple illusion spell keeping anyone from recognizing his body. Clow had been rather disgusted to find out his new form's criminal past, and it was rather inconvenient hiding his face. Still, illusions took little power, and there were few sensitives around.

Sakura Kinomoto stood in front of a display case, the cheerful young woman giving a lecture as the crowd listened raptly. The young woman had one of his artifacts around her neck, the key of Clow, and he recognized her bloodline as one of his chosen guardians. There was also a shimmer of power around her, one he felt indicated she had some of his cards.

But not ALL of them, which was also confusing. The sequence of events that should have led to his awakening included one person gathering all the cards. It should not have been possible for him to be here, if that step wasn't finished. It was all quite perplexing.

Clow moved aside for a group of students, then peered into a display of one of his older staffs, as well as a incantation he had put on a clay slab not long before his death. It... irritated him a bit, to see his items here, so far from home, but he could also understand the impulse. And frankly he was also impressed a bit by their efforts to understand the past.

"Excuse me, sir?" a voice jarred Clow from his thoughts.

Clow turned to see the Kinomoto woman looking at him curiously. As he gazed at her Clow could see the mystically healed scars she bore, and fought down the urge to wince. Just a casual look showed how often she had been beaten, stabbed or cut, and he didn't want to imagine how often she was nearly killed.

"Yes, miss?" Clow asked, smiling politely.

Sakura looked sheepish as she said, "I know this sounds strange, but... you glow slightly."

Clow mentally cursed his stupidity. Of course Kinomoto was sensitive, she would HAVE to be to track and fight the cards. Recovering quickly he just smiled, "Oh really? I hadn't noticed." Before she could ask anything else he hurried off, "Excuse me."

Once Clow got out of the building he ducked into a alley and set about reworking the illusion, making it both more subtle and less noticeable, magic wise. Hopefully he wouldn't trigger any more sensitives as he...

What WAS he doing, anyway? With the Clow Cards ungathered, what purpose did he have in this strange new world? Clow Reed didn't know... but he rather suspected he would enjoy finding out.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"The tower that we were investigating exploded?" Mei Lin blurted as she looked up at Tomoyo in surprise from where she was sitting at her desk.

"Blew up into splinters," Tomoyo confirmed, "I've got photos from a guy jogging through the area yesterday. No idea when it happened, but it looks like after midnight."

"You think it's a Clow Card?" Mei-Lin asked quietly.

"That or something else magic," Tomoyo shrugged slightly.

"Well, we were going back out there tonight already, so...," Mei-Lin said, smiling grimly. "You two still want me along?"

"Please," Tomoyo nodded.

Before either could continue Kaho Mitsuki, the editor in chief of the paper and the woman dating Tomoyo's mother, bustled by heading for her office. "What's the latest on the mayor?" she called as she headed in, "I want updates, damn it!"

"You know something?" Mei-Lin asked as Tomoyo winced slightly.

"I'd better give her the news," Tomoyo said as she went by and knocked on the boss' door.

"What have you got?" Kaho asked as Tomoyo went in.

"I think Takashi Yamazaki actually managed to put one over on the cops," Tomoyo admitted as she faced her employer. She didn't add that he had fooled them too, because she wasn't stupid.

"The Mayor didn't flee the country?" Kaho narrowed her eyes as she asked the question. She was clearly NOT happy, considering the paper had reported that as fact.

"I've called in a lot of favors," Tomoyo said, "and even then I can't be entirely certain, but he never turned up in the countries he stashed his funds in. The cops have no idea where he is, though they still think he fled the country."

Kaho studied her ace reporter a moment. "You think he's still here?" she asked.

"Probably," Tomoyo answered. "I mean, he was raised here... he's not going to be forced to run away. His ego won't allow that."

"But how do we find him?" Kaho started, then quickly shook her head. "I mean how can we help the POLICE find him?"

"Awww," Tomoyo pouted.

"Don't try the pout on me," Kaho said, "there is no way I'll let you go chasing after a guy who, I should remind you, HATES YOUR GUTS."

"Eh, I didn't do that much to him," Tomoyo tried to shrug it off.

Kaho snorted a bit. "You were the first to catch him with his hand in the cookie jar," she reminded the younger woman, "you caught him again later, and you were the one who helped the cops get a warrant to search his place. I strongly suspect he's a bit annoyed with you."

"Yes ma'an," Tomoyo sighed.

Kaho hesitated then added, "And if you got hurt your mother would kill me."

That got a snort out of Tomoyo. "I wondered why you were coming on that strong," she noted wryly. "Does this mean I have to call you step-mom?"

"Do it and die," Kaho said with a mock growl.

With a laugh Tomoyo sauntered out. "Bye, mom!" she teased.

Kaho sighed and sat back at her desk. "I'm getting too old for this," she said to herself.

"Mom?" Mei-Lin asked as she brought in a fresh cup of coffee.

"Spread that around and die," Kaho threatened as she took the cup from her assistant and gulped some of it down.

As Tomoyo reached her desk she was already plotting how to find the former mayor. She phoned up the paper's records section and smiled as she said, "Hey, Rika. How's it going?"

"Just fine until you called," Rka teased. "What impossible job have you got for me now?" she asked archly.

"I'm not THAT bad," Tomoyo protested.

"Oh yes you are," Rika shot back cheerfully, "you're just lucky I like a challenge." She paused for a moment then added, "Well?"

"I need the files on his honor, Takashi Yamazaki," Tomoyo said, "especially any property dealings he's been involved with in the city."

"It'll take a few hours but I can put together a list of what we have on file," Rika said cautiously, "it won't be complete though."

"Good, I'll hit up the city for whatever I can get and compare the lists," Tomoyo said. "Thanks!" she added as she started to go through the files.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

There was a moment of dead silence as Yue Susanoo and his companion looked at the clearing in dumbfounded shock. "Tell me I'm not seeing this," Yue said weakly.

"You're not seeing this," Kero lied, the redhead looking with equal shock at the blasted ruin of the tower. She gave Yue a look, "Did denying it help?"

"No," Yue answered, shaking his head. "How...?"

The two had come here before, to investigate the tower, but had been forcefully blasted away by it's protections. Their plan had been to use Sakura to try to determine if what they THOUGHT was in the tower was actually there, but apparently something else had happened.

"Did Sakura somehow sneak away from us, come here on her own and...?" Kero gestured awkwardly as they walked up to the gutted wreck.

"Not unless she evaded us both, and I've stayed damn close to her at work," Yue said wryly.

"I've shadowed her every time she's gone out lately," Kero agreed, "no way she could have come here on her own."

The two reached the police tape that was blocking access to the wreckage, along with various gawkers. The structure hadn't been of much interest when it was merely a abandoned tower in the woods, but having it mysteriously explode brought a lot of attention. Making things moe interesting was the story that someone saw a glowing figure zip away after the blast.

Kero scratched her chin as she gave Yue a look, "You didn't get pissed off and just blast the place, did you?"

"Not at our current power levels," Yue sighed, "I'd just bounce off that shield."

The two ignored the cops and the cops ignored them pretty much. While neither Yue or Kero were all THAT powerful magic wise, they could manage a simple veil. The cops just... didn't notice them while instinctively going around them.

Both of them had spent as long dodging around the main issue as they could. "Do you think he's back?" Kero asked. Both feeling the familiar energies inside the building.

"He shouldn't be," Yue grimaced, "but who knows? Things haven't been going as planned since the beginning..."

To be continued!

Notes: Yes, Clow is NOT a villain. Or at least not YET. I suspect Sakura etc etc will not approve of him possessing someone, so that may be a issue. We'll see.


End file.
